Novak Djokovic suggests Davis Cup format revamp, wants to "add three more hosts" & change them "every 2 years"
With the ATP season coming to an end, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has turned his attention to the Davis Cup. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will aim to lead Serbia to glory at the premier international team event that kicks off on November 25.
The traditional format of the Davis Cup was done away with in 2019 after it was taken over by the Gerard Piqué-owned Kosmos group. While the 2019 edition of the competition was held in one city (Madrid), the Finals will be staged in three cities this year (Madrid, Turin and Innsbruck).
However, the competition will not be able to attract more fans despite the modifications, according to Djokovic. The Serb feels more host cities need to be added for better promotion of the competition.
"Davis Cup went from one extreme to the other a few years ago, when the whole competition was held in one city (Madrid), which I did not like at all,” Djokovic said. “On the other hand, I do not think that the old format is the best solution either. My vote goes to something in between, something similar to what they are trying to do now.”
The five-time ATP Finals champion even suggested that the season-ending championship be shifted to different cities every couple of years.
"Actually, I would add three more hosts, so that there is a group in each city, followed by a knockout phase in one city," he elaborated. "Also, I would change the hosts every two years, just like I would do with the ATP Finals: I feel that these two competitions represent a great opportunity to take our sport in places where it is not that popular at the moment, which would be good for promotion.”
Team Serbia reporting for duty 🇷🇸
#DavisCupFinals #byRakuten https://t.co/w06dr5A9J3
"The weeks I am representing Serbia are one of the most significant ones for me" - Novak Djokovic
Djokovic is in Innsbruck to lead the charge for the Serbia, who have been placed in Group F alongside Austria and Germany. The Serb, who landed in the Austrian city on Tuesday, wasted no time and immediately headed to the practice courts.
Djokovic, who led his country to Davis Cup glory in 2010, has never shied away from expressing how much representing Serbia means to him. Calling the ATP Cup and the Davis Cup two of the "most significant tournaments" for him, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he won't let the empty stands due to COVID-19 restrictions bother him.
“The bad news is that we are going to play in front of empty stands (in Innsbruck, due to Covid-19 restrictions in Austria), but Serbia is in our hearts; we know that we enjoy big support and we will try to bring joy to our people back home," Djokovic said. "The weeks I am representing Serbia are one of the most significant ones for me – ATP Cup and Davis Cup. I hope that we are going to be successful.”
2021 has been a long and challenging season for Djokovic physically and mentally. Yet the Serb remains as motivated as ever and does not plan to allow fatigue to come in the way of his commitment towards his country.
"All of my attention is on the Davis Cup now," he said. "The end of the season is very late, but it is what it is. We want to go all the way: we have a team that is both young and experienced, and we have a doubles specialist in Nikola Cacic, which is very important in this format."