By Tony Fairbairn
- ATP and Kosmos announce new alliance strategy in supporting Davis Cup from 2023
- Davis Cup will now become part of the ATP calendar in an official capacity.
MALAGA, SPAIN – ATP and Kosmos have announced a new alliance strategy ahead of this year’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain.
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Tennis seems to be entering a new era with governing bodies seemingly communicating with each other about its sports future. Firstly there was the news there will be a new mixed team competition called the ‘United Cup’ which will take place in January before the Australian Open.
That’s followed up with the news that the ATP and Kosmos are finally getting along and are starting a new partnership over the Davis Cup. The new alliance strategy announced in a press release will see the ATP having six seats on the new Davis Cup Event Committee alongside the ITF and Kosmos to ensure the long term future of the competition.
This means that the Davis Cup is now on the official ATP calendar on weeks five, 37 and 47 with increased promotion from the ATP. This means that players will be able to plan their annual schedules around the competition, which will have 15 million dollars of prize money available for the finals of the competition.
Speaking to the ATP website in a press release ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, ITF president David Haggerty and Kosmos Tennis CEO Enric Rojas all commented on the changes and were adamant that it will benefit the sport in the long-term:
“Our focus is always on creating the best possible experiences for our fans and players. Delivering compelling international team competitions that dovetail with the year-round calendar and continue to innovate is a vital part of that. The Davis Cup has an incredibly rich history and we’re excited to see this important new alliance drive the event forward from 2023,” Gaudenzi said to the ATP website.
“This announcement heralds an important new alliance between the ITF, Kosmos and ATP which further strengthens the importance of team competition and Davis Cup’s unique role in elite men’s professional tennis. Part of the Olympic Qualification Pathway, Davis Cup is the largest annual men’s team competition in sport and the sole men’s team competition in the pro tennis calendar where teams are officially selected by their nation. Together with the women’s Billie Jean King Cup, it shows the ITF’s full commitment to delivering spectacular tournaments that players love to play and electrifying battles between nations which fans in the stadium and whole countries love to get behind,” Haggerty added.
“It is a very important agreement for all three parties and especially for the players. In the last three years, the format of the competition has been improved to reach a greater number of fans, generate a greater impact and facilitate the participation of the best players in the world. We look forward to seeing the event grow even further in the coming years,” Rojas commented.
A big step forward in unity
This announcement made today is a big step forward for tennis’ governing bodies in terms of communication and player transparency. After the ATP and ITF refusing to talk to each other like a divorced married couple, now it seems they have talked things out and are back to give a unified team competition that will attempt to appeal to the players.
It remains to be seen where the WTA and the Laver Cup stand in all of this with their being no sign of the women’s tour implementing something similar with the ITF. However today should mean that there will be a clear path for players to assess their schedules and plan when they are going to play Davis Cup, especially with the Olympic Games approaching in 18 months time.
Now all attention is on this year’s Davis Cup Finals with the final eight battling for the trophy in Malaga, Spain, which commences after the Nitto ATP Finals.
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