Former American tennis player Andy Roddick went into detail to explain why the Davis Cup has fallen short while a similar team tournament, the Laver Cup, has worked.
Roddick felt that Roger Federer, who co-founded the Laver Cup in 2017, was able to figure out the success formula for a team competition. It is where he believes that the Davis Cup has fallen short. “Davis Cup is bleeding,” he said.
He detailed how the Laver Cup format involving a three-day tournament with three-setter matches and a third-set tiebreaker, prevents the players from taking too much workload.
On the other hand, the Davis Cup requires a player to prepare for a five-setter tie makes it more challenging.
Other than Federer’s charm in the tennis world, the fact that he created a tournament that was an ‘easy yes’ for the players contributed to its success, as per Roddick.
He praised the Laver Cup organizers for cracking the marketing code by introducing a ‘TV experience’ that allows players to share their own take on a particular match.
Roddick also advised the ATP to not organize a 1000 or 500 tournament while the Laver Cup is going on.
“They play hard, it’s a thing and you are going to care about it (Laver Cup) more because you care about Davis Cup less. Davis Cup is not addictive anymore,” said Roddick in his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick.
Earlier, the Davis Cup had received a lot of criticism for the involvement of Spanish footballer Gerard Pique.
After signing the 25-year deal with Pique’s Kosmos, the ITF changed the ‘home vs away’ format of the tournament and started holding matches between the individual nations.
One such game between France and Switzerland in Manchester was an utter disappointment. The stadium for the event was nowhere near full, resulting in Swiss player Stan Wawrinka criticizing the organizers.
“Thank you @3gerardpique @ITFTennis ♂️! @DavisCup France vs Switzerland in Manchester lol,” wrote Wawrinka in his tweet while sharing the video of an empty stadium.
Thank you @3gerardpique @ITFTennis ♂️! @DavisCup France vs Switzerland in Manchester lol pic.twitter.com/XqcqSQEURd
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 12, 2023
Hence, the constant drop in the popularity of the Davis Cup provided Federer the chance to come up with an alternative. Using his stardom and business acumen, he successfully created an event that honors the legacy of legendary Rod Laver.
At the same time, it ensures entertainment and competition for fans without putting a lot of pressure on the players.
Over the years, the Laver Cup has only gained more fan base and has attracted the top players to participate in it.
The organizers may need to take cues from the Laver Cup’s success to help rekindle the fading interest in Davis Cup.
