ITF Considers Possible Changes in Davis Cup

The future of the Davis Cup, one of the most contentious of issues and a subject the. most fertile minds in tennis have repeatedly visited, came up for discussion at the ITF annual general meeting. But calls for a vast overhaul of the century old competition were dismissed unanimously.

Ideas such as the Davis Cup being staged every other year or the World Group being compacted into a fortnight long event held in one location, were deemed unnecessary.

Representatives from the proposed World Cup of Tennis, proposed by a group of Australian businessmen and viewed as a direct threat to Davis Cup, were even invited to the AGM held in Washington DC.

"The Davis Cup is an institution in tennis and long may it continue in its current format," said a high ranking ITF official. "We are mindful that other people have other ideas on how the event should be run and that is only natural because it is the paramount annual international team competition in the world of sports.

"However the crowds and interest generated, plus the revenue brought in to further the growth of tennis worldwide, suggests we are currently moving on the right tracks."

One idea discussed which could be implemented after further meetings is to allow the champion and runner up nations first round byes in the following year's competition, so trimming the World Group from 16 nations to 14.