Davis Cup reaction: Federer disappointed with change, Djokovic pleased

ITF President David Haggerty on the transformational changes to Davis Cup:

Roger Federer expressed disappointment at the overhaul of Davis Cup, while Novak Djokovic backed the changes—though both players issued warnings on aspects of the reforms.

The ITF voted to transform the team competition into a one-week, 18-team competition by a 71.63 percent majority, which will provide the ITF with $125 million annually. There will also be a round of traditional home-and-away ties to qualify for the competition, though reduced to best-of-three sets and different scheduling.

Federer, who played Davis Cup regularly in the first half of his career and won it for Switzerland in 2014, has not participated in it recently and has started his own team event, Laver Cup. Still, he seemed unhappy about the changes.

"The ITF has historically never involved the players," he said. "I'm still a bit surprised. I didn't get involved because I didn't know the solution. It was definitely flawed in some ways, you know, the Davis Cup.

"So for me, I don't know, I feel sad about it, you know, not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. It will never be the same."

Federer also appeared to have some questions about the funding arrangements.

"I just hope that every penny of that mass of money will be paid for the next generation," he said, referencing a similarly lucrative agreement in 2000 between the ATP and ISL, which then went bust. "It set us back in a big way. I don't want that to happen again."

Djokovic, whose 2010 Davis Cup victory subsequently propelled his career to a new level, was positive about the move in general.

"I heard that people were mentioning my name in the support of the whole deal, which is not true. I am only in support of the format change. That, I have said, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and today. So it hasn't changed," he said.

"I'm really glad that, you know, people of ITF are understanding the urgency of changing the format and the schedule. It was just not right, especially for the top players. Very few top players have played consistently the Davis Cup competition."

But Djokovic also indicated that he would favor the similar competition recently announced by the ATP tour.

"Davis Cup has a history. We all respect it," he said. "Right now we have World Team Cup, which is an ATP competition, and obviously that's, you know, that's gonna be a priority of many players. That's gonna come in the first week of the year, which is, I think, better schedule, for all of us."

Best of five or best of three? Federer and Djokovic disagree:

The new Davis Cup event will be played in the final week of the season, in the same week as the Davis Cup finals. It will follow the ATP Tour Finals.

More tennis players reacted to the reforms on social media and elsewhere, with those against the changes being far more vocal about their opposition.

The reforms had significant opposition from some nations, including Germany  Australia, and several Eastern European countries including the Czech Republic. Their players and captains expressed sharp criticism of the vote, with Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt and two-time Davis Cup winner Tomas Berdych issuing statements.

Boris Becker, who is now with the German federation, reacted similarly, while German captain Michael Kohlmann said he found "nothing positive" in the changes.

"The season will be even longer," Kohlmann told tennisnet. "For those who are not in the ATP Tour Finals, they have two and a half weeks of nothing and then have to play Davis Cup."

While French tennis federation president Bernard Giudicelli voted for the changes, amidst a controversial rule change allowing him to keep his position on the ITF Board, the reforms have been vociferously opposed by French players and former pros. French captain Amelie Mauresmo and members of the 2017 Davis Cup-winning team reiterated their positions.

"The ITF, for ten years, did nothing, ten years during which the players asked for changes and there was not any reform, then with one swing there was a radical scheme which could have been avoided," Richard Gasquet had told l'Equipe. "The Davis Cup is not a World Cup. Who is going to go to France-Russia in Shanghai—no one. It's going to be ridiculous, but there is a lot of money to mask this idea.''

Similarly, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria voted in favor, but Davis Cup players from the countries were also critical of the vote.

In Spain, which also voted in favor, Rafael Nadal has previously been cautiously positive, as was Feliciano Lopez, another Davis Cup player.

The reforms have had more widespread backing in the United States, with both the USTA, captain Jim Courier and top players in favor, although there was slightly more split social media reaction.

In Canada, which also voted in favor, its top-ranked player Milos Raonic backed the changes, having rarely played any Davis Cup in recent years, though he also warned of competition between the new Davis Cup and the ATP's planned World Team Cup.

"I think it's a positive thing. I think Davis Cup has had its issues," he said. "It needed some kind of a change. I hope this kind of change is well-received by the players.

"The one thing that the World Team Cup will have on its side is scheduling at the time of year it will be. But other than that, it's something and it's a fresh start, and I think players will appreciate it."

But a top young Canadian, Felix Auger-Aliassime, was not pleased.

South American nations also voted for the changes. Argentina's Diego Schwartzman noted there were pros and cons.

"It's sad, obviously, that we will not have home ties. That's the part about Davis Cup we like the most," he said. "It needed a change because it's exhausting. We had changes of surface, temperature, schedules. To play three sets, in one place, it will intensify the competition and encourage the best players to play."

Colombia's Santiago Giraldo was pleased that his country will be among those entered in the team competition.