Haggerty takes stock of the Davis Cup: "We want tennis to grow"

Raquel Bermúdez Rodríguez | 25 Nov 2024 | 10.57

Streaming ATP Bucharest live tennis

🎾 Dimitar Kuzmanov vs Stefano Travaglia

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

Continuing with the usual press conference to review how the tournament has gone, David Haggerty sits down with the media to chat about how both the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup have performed this season. Among the main topics are the format and the calendar, which remain key aspects of the team event, along with the venue, a mystery that he has not wanted to solve at this time.

"It has been very special to celebrate the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup in the same place, with 20 teams. We have experienced many firsts. In the Davis Cup, we have had 65,000 fans throughout the week, surpassing last year's 60,000. 43% of the fans in the stadium have traveled internationally, coming from countries participating in the tournament, which signifies a significant increase. We want the sport to grow," stated David Haggerty, President of the ITF.

Debate with sets

"We have discussed it with captains and players, that's why we play best of three. We believe it makes sense, especially in the finals, where you play consecutive days sometimes. From the fan perspective, we want to ensure they have an enjoyable experience, also for the players and their health. We are pleased with the format of the Final 8. We think it's very appealing to have the eight teams compete in the finals. We listen to the players and the countries.

Something we have always wanted to do is balance the tradition of the Davis Cup with the innovation of the Final 8. Next year, the September round will follow a home and away format. We feel that is the best way to mix tradition with innovation. For next year, we have a couple of offers for each tournament (regarding the venue)."

The calendar, another challenge

"The calendar is a challenge. There are many stakeholders with different views on what it should be. From our standpoint, the most important thing is the welfare of the players. We want the calendar to be the best possible for them. We provide certainty. They know when the Davis Cup weeks, Billie Jean King Cup weeks will be. They can plan for next year. There are many ongoing discussions among the seven stakeholders about the calendar. This year, the Masters 1000 have been extended to last 12 days, there are many changes."

What is the determining factor for choosing the venue?

"We are responsible for developing tennis in 213 countries. This year, in the September group stage, one of the venues was China for the first time, bringing tennis to a continent that is important. There are a number of factors such as the visibility of the competition, its continuous growth, money is not everything. It is an important element, but not the most decisive factor."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Haggerty hace balance de la Copa Davis : "Queremos que el tenis crezca"