Ongoing War of Words Fails to Budge Novak Djokovic From His Davis Cup Stance – ‘Between the Old and the New’

Over the past few years, there has been a raging debate about the format of the Davis Cup. When Spanish soccer legend Gerard Pique’s company took over the operations of the tournament, it was restructured and the traditional home and away format was tweaked. As a result, the tennis world was left divided, which led to a war of words. Recently, World Number 1, Novak Djokovic, opened up about this subject.

The Serb had one of the best seasons of his tennis career in 2023. Additionally, he has also broken many records this year. Amidst this, his points about the new Davis Cup format were brief but effective.

Novak Djokovic has his say about the Davis Cup format

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is in Malaga, Spain, where he’s participating in the Davis Cup Finals. Ahead of his nation’s quarterfinal clash against Great Britain, Djokovic issued an honest take on the Davis Cup structure.

Talking about this in his press conference, reported by Punto De Break, he said, “I know there has been a lot of debate about this topic. I know there was a lot of criticism when Kosmos changed the format. On a personal level, I think the best format would be something in between the old and the new, because I don’t think this is the best for all the nations participating in the World Group.”

Further, he went on to add, “The fact that we have not played in Serbia for many years is not good, we do not give the people of Serbia the opportunity to see us play, especially the younger ones. Furthermore, I think that a home tie helps the Federation.”

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With growing backlash, Pique’s company, Kosmos’ association with the Davis Cup, ended. Subsequently, he slammed the ITF for breaking the contract.

Pique hits back hard at ITF

Pique’s association with the Davis Cup began after the former Barcelona FC star offered $3 billion dollars over 25 years to the International Tennis Federation. However, it proved to be a monumental failure as the numbers took a hit during Covid-19 and in the following years. The cost of running the iconic tournament kept increasing, which didn’t go down well with Pique’s company.

Opening up about this, Pique said, “Although the numbers were spectacular in the first year, in 2020, they were not repeated. And in 2021, it was organized, but behind closed doors… And the fee kept growing.” He stated how this forced them to renegotiate the contract but the ITF chose to walk away from it.

The Davis Cup Finals are currently underway with some exciting matches on the cards. Can Djokovic guide Serbia to success in the tournament? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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