Former American tennis great Andy Roddick feels that audiences are losing interest in the 124-year-old Davis Cup, while a similar team tournament, the Laver Cup, has caught their attention because of its superior tournament design.
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.
While the Laver Cup is played between two teams – Team Europe and Team World, the Davis Cup pits national teams against each other in a two-tier format. Because the Davis Cup features players of one country against another, contests can sometimes be uneven, whereas, the Laver Cup features the world’s top players.
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 an ATP 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.
How the ITF opened the doors for Federer
The Davis Cup has also suffered because of its changed format after signing a 25-year deal with Spanish footballer Gerard Pique’s Kosmos Group. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) changed the ‘home vs away’ format of the tournament and started holding matches in a single city in a third country, which was widely criticized.
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
The ITF canceled the Kosmos deal last year, but the damage was done. The 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 a larger fan base and has attracted 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.
