How about merging Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup?

[NaBUru38]

Currently the ITF has three tournaments for national teams: the Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup.

Having three tournaments for national teams is bad, as popular interest is split between them. It's better to have one strong tournament.

I dislike the split between men's and women's tennis. It encourages federations and media to focus in one sex and ignore the other, depending on which is more successful. It would be better to have a mixed tournament, like the Hopman Cup.

Each Davis and Fed Cup tie features two countries playing five matches, which is rather boring, especially in the case of the Davis Cup where matches are five-set. However, an 8-team tournament like the Hopman Cup reduces the local fan passion, and reduces global reach. 4-team tournaments seem the best balance.

The Davis Cup is played over four rounds, which are hard to accomodate in the calendar.

My proposal

For clarity I'll call my tournament the ITF Nations Cup. As I said, each group has four teams, where the top two advance to the next round.

Each group is a six-match round robin between the four teams, played over three days. Each match is five-set, where the male and female players alternate sets, except the third set which is doubles.

Division 1 has 16 teams, so QF has four groups, SF has two groups, and the Final Four has one group. The Final Four has an extra rematch between the top two teams to decide the ITF Nations Cup winner.

Division 2 also has 16 teams, which are also split in four groups. The top two Division 2 teams of each group play the bottom two Division 1 teams of each group.

In each of the four Playoff groups, the top two teams of each group play next year's Division 1 and the bottom two teams play next year's Division 2.

Similarly, the top eight Division 3 teams play the bottom eight Division 2 teams.

 

[Deanjam]

 

[NaBUru38]

I sent an email to ITF, as I often do about these kinds of proposals.

 

[fuzz nation]

I can't get terribly excited about the Davis/Fed Cup just because the competition is constant through the course of a tennis calendar that includes only about a month's worth of down time. Too much.

The World Cup is a big deal in part because it doesn't happen every year. The Ryder Cup competition would also lose a lot of its luster if it was contested on an annual basis. If the campaigns for both the Fed Cup and Davis Cup were limited to perhaps once every four years - I'd say two years out of sync with the Olympics - then it would be a bigger event.

The big problem I can think of there though, is that teams are always competing to get into the world group. That would still probably need to happen on more than a once every four year basis.

 

[Vanhool]

Men's and women's calendars are set up differently, so it would be hard to coordinate. They often have trouble getting A listers to show up for Fed Cup as it is, with many only doing the minimum to qualify for the Olympics (not sure if it's the same for Davis Cup).

Hopman Cup usually gets quality participants because of where it is in the calendar. I really enjoy Hopman Cup, and it would be fun to have some sort of year end Hopman Cuppish thing with the countries that have the best 4 or 8 combined DC/FC teams, but I think the players would hate it. They seem like they hate everything after the USO (unless they are desparately trying to make up points).

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Why would they merge? They earn massive amounts of money for the cities/WTA/ATP. Davis Cup is always a sell out here in Australia as is the Fed Cup. Never been to the Hopman Cup but crowds always seem busy and big players draw big crowds.
I agree it is a waste of time for players but if money is involved then they aren't gonna scrap it.