⚰️ Is it the death of the Davis Cup?

We all remember waiting for the end of the year when the DC final would be played. Countries would battle it out in group play throughout the year in a home & away style format to make it to the prestigious final. The tie would be played in front of raucous home crowd, whistling and booing through matches in a football like atmosphere. Players would battle each other over 2 days in hopes of bringing home the trophy. For many players it was a dream and honour to win it for their country. For the away team, it was one of the toughest tests in sport.

Earlier in the week Stan Wawrinka, posted on Twitter a video showing a non-existent crowd ahead of Switzerland’s match against France. He followed this up with a Ricky Gervais meme a day later.

The posts were a swipe at the ITF and former Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique, whose controversial deal made big changes to the Davis Cup.

Novak Djokovic was quick to defend Pique, who is facing a lot of criticism not just from Wawrinka. However he was critical of ITF for the format change - putting the blame on them.

"I don't support the criticism of Pique because it is not his fault," Djokovic told reporters. "The ITF is the one that allowed the change of format and the one that makes the final decision. He came with his company and bet on tennis.”

What’s the story?
In 2018, Gerard Pique's Kosmos group and the ITF made a deal which saw the group pledge a hefty $3 billion to tennis, claiming it secured the competition's future.

As part of the deal though, the competition was changed to a World Cup-style format instead of the classic home-and-away system - this divided fans and countries. Great Britain and Australia were among some of the nations that voted against the format change.

But after just 5 years into a deal that was supposed to last 25 years, Kosmos is calling it quits.

The Kosmos deal was meant to revitalize Davis Cup, but attendance and logistics were issues. The pandemic didn't help either. Despite efforts to attract more fans, it seems the numbers didn't add up for Kosmos.

What now?
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) says the competition isn't in immediate danger, but its future is uncertain. The 2023 competition still goes on, with the Finals taking place in Malaga this November.

But the question now is, what's next for Davis Cup and the ITF?

 🌯 Davis Cup Wrap-up

Davis Cup day three was do-or-die for some teams and the the action didn’t disappoint.

Here’s what went down…

Australia's Davis Cup Hope Revived
In the match-up of the day, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell ignited Australia's hopes with a crucial doubles win against France. Following a 1-2 loss to Great Britain, Australia faced a must-win situation. Adrian Mannarino edged Purcell in the opening singles, but Alex de Minaur leveled the tie. Ebden and Purcell then seized the opportunity, defeating experienced French doubles stars Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Czech Republic Dominates Group C
The Czech Republic continued their Group C dominance in Valencia with singles victories by Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka against South Korea. They closed it out in the doubles making it the second 3-0 win of the week.

Netherlands Stuns USA
A heroic win against Frances Tiafoe for Tallon Griekspoor brought the Netherlands closer to the Davis Cup Final 8. After Botic van de Zandschulp's victory earlier, Griekspoor avenged his Cincinnati loss, prevailing in a dramatic tie-break.

Canada's Dominance in Group A
Canada's Vasek Pospisil and Gabriel Diallo continued their perfect run in Group A with singles wins against Sweden. Diallo secured his second win, marking Canada's fifth straight rubber of the week. Canada's doubles team also sealed a 3-0 sweep.

Looking ahead to day four’s action…

 ⏰ Shot clock

🔥 San Diego heats up. The women’s singles draw at the WTA 500 San Diego Open is down to the final four players. Danielle Collins plays Barbora Krejcikova, while Sofia Kenin is up against Emma Navarro who upset Maria Sakkari in the quarters.

🤭 Eugene Bouchard comments on Halep ban. Bouchard made a subtle comment on her X account in regards to Halep’s 4 year doping ban. Her comment read “I was told not to tweet today”. The comment was a reference to when she openly called Maria Sharapova “a cheater” in 2017 following the Russian’s doping ban.

😆 Childhood coach of Serena Williams shares funny anecdote. Rick Macci shared a story of how a 10 year old Serena Williams would say she wants to be number 1. His response, “you can but right now your only number TWO in your in your own bedroom!”

💉 Djokovic makes clear statement on vax stance. The world no.1 has told John McEnroe that he "was never anti-vax" but just "pro-freedom-to-choose." Djokovic has faced a lot of backlash from the public on his decision not to be vaccinated. Anti-vax supporters have also been using him as a poster boy.

🤓 Coaches Corner

We all know that feeling when you feel you just one step behind the ball. One step makes a big difference to the outcome of your shots and result of the match. It might be time to get on court and improve that tennis fitness and movement.

Here’s a video from the boys at Top Tennis Training will show you how to get ATP Tour level fit for your next match.