"It is a shame France and Australia are playing in front of an empty stadium" - Andy Murray echoes growing discontent with Davis Cup format
Andy Murray has become the latest tennis star to voice his discontent with the format of the 2023 Davis Cup, which has received flak for its scheduling.
Since the 2019 Davis Cup, matches between international teams have been scheduled at neutral venues, exemplified by Switzerland and France's tie in the 2023 Finals played in Manchester.
Murray expressed his disappointment in this format, which has resulted in largely empty stadiums during matches of away teams.
The former World No. 1 revealed that he was part of the ATP Player Council when this format was being discussed and remembered no council member supporting it. They took their concerns to the ITF president at the time but to no avail.
"I was on the ATP player council when the initial discussions were had about this format, not one person on the council supported it. We told that to (ITF president) David Haggerty and to the ITF at the time. We were told that would be taken into consideration and then literally two days later it was announced they were changing the format," Andy Murray said.
Andy Murray considered team Great Britain, drawn in the same group as Switzerland, France, and Australia, lucky to have played the tournament in their hometown.
However, he felt sorry for the other teams in the group, who have a rich tennis history and vibrant fan following, for not getting enough support from the stands during a tournament of this magnitude.
"We’re fortunate here because we get to play all of the matches in a brilliant atmosphere, great crowd. It is a shame when France and Australia, two of the biggest tennis nations, they love their Davis Cup, and they’re playing in front of what feels like an empty stadium," he added.
The Brit argued that for the Davis Cup to be successful again, the tournament has to switch to home-and-away ties, which is widely loved by fans and players.
"It feels wrong. I think the format will have to change if it’s going to be successful again. All the players loved the home-and-away ties, I think the fans loved the home-and-away ties as well. Hopefully there’s a way we can get it back to that," he said.
Andy Murray will next play at Zhuhai Championships 2023
Andy Murray is currently in Manchester, leading team Great Britain in the Davis Cup Final. The 36-year-old won his singles matches against Leandro Riedi of Switzerland 6-7(7-9), 6-4, 6-4 on September 15. Murray's team is still in the mix to snag the last quarterfinal spot and is competing against France.
The Brit's schedule will continue to be packed as he will fly to China to play the 2023 Zhuhai Championships, which marks the return of the ATP Tour to China for the first time since 2019. The tournament will take place at the Hengqin International Tennis Center in Zhuhai, China, from September 20 to 26.
World No. 15 Karen Khachanov leads the field, with Cameron Norrie as the No. 2 seed, Jan-Lennard Struff as the No. 3 seed, and Sebastian Korda as the No. 4 seed.
World No. 41 Andy Murray is the No. 7 seed at the ATP 250 tournament. The total prize money is $981,785, with the winner being awarded $149,330.