Maharashtra Open 2019: Kevin Anderson criticises ITF for not collaborating with players enough before Davis Cup overhaul

Pune: World No 6 Kevin Anderson bemoaned International Tennis Federation’s failure to collaborate with players ahead of its plans to reformat the 118-year-old Davis Cup.

Speaking at a press conference at the 2019 Maharashtra Open, Anderson said, “I can’t speak too much about the ITF and the Davis Cup. They’ve been doing their own thing and not collaborating as closely with the players as we would have liked. It’s tough for me to comment on something that is out of the players’ hands and not have any say in what they do.”

The tweaked Davis Cup  format will see a finals event held over a week at the end of the season with 18 teams — 12 winners from 24-team home and away qualifying ties in February, the previous year’s four semi-finalists and two wild-card nations.

However, the World No 6 was upbeat about the introduction of the ATP World Team Cup from the 2020 season which will be held in partnership with Tennis Australia in the month of January and will feature 24 teams.

“We’ve been very focused on making the Team Cup as strong an event as possible. I think it’s great for the tour. I think it’s going to further increase the popularity and give more exposure around the world. We are going to start the year with a great event and end the year with a great event,” Anderson, who is a part of the ATP Player Council, said.

The ITF announced a restructuring of the professional circuit from the 2019 season which will restrict the number of players on the ATP and WTA tour to the top 750 players. Anderson voiced his support for the change and said, “We look at the pros and cons for each change and everything is to keep developing the game. It’s never going to be ideal for everybody but we try to make the best decisions possible and hope that those changes will have positive results.

“I think it’s much better for the integrity of the ATP to have a cut off. In the PGA, 750 people don’t get a Tour card. It’s something that you have to work for to earn your spot there. If you hear anyone say they have a tour card, you’ll know what level they are at. So I think the ATP introducing this is a positive change.”

The ITF also announced the introduction of the ITF Transition Tour with the aim of reducing costs for players, hosting costs for events and helping junior players to transition to the senior level in a shorter time. However, the new format has come under criticism from some corners as possibly discouraging youngsters from taking up the sport. Anderson defended the move and said that the transition tour will help more players make a living out of tennis, unlike before.

“I think the number of players making a living out of playing tennis is more than ever. Nobody is making a living at 800 or 900 in the tour so that’s not really a goal for anybody. Before it was a best case of top 75 and now it’s top 100 and it’s going lower and lower. So there are more players able to support themselves playing tennis and ultimately that’s what is going to drive people to our sport.”