Butch Buchholz and Mike Davies, the two former high-ranked pros at the forefront of the drive to reform Davis Cup, have met with the ATP and WTA and, though the key parties involved are reluctant to comment, I can tell you the meeting was productive and, more to the point, they’ve decided to meet again soon.
In addition to Buchholz and Davies, the two chief executives of professional tennis — Adam Helfant of the ATP and Stacey Allaster of the WTA — were there.
No one is issuing any press statements, but you can infer from the desire to keep meeting that there is agreement in concept with what Buchholz and Davies are planning.
The plan is to create a new Nations Cup or World Cup type format with a defined number of countries coming together at the same site for a kind of tennis festival and tournament. This would dispense with the world team competition in 10 days to two weeks and allow the top players to get back to their No. 1 priority, which is the tour and the Grand Slams.
With the hefty increase in prize money and the increased global competition, Davis Cup is heavily in need of change, but the ITF, which owns and operates Davis Cup, has made it clear it won’t change, and that’s what has spurred Buchholz and Davies, a couple of former Davis Cuppers themselves, to promote the new format.
Davis Cup is an 11-month long odyssey with four rounds spaced three to four months apart. The rounds are so far apart it’s often difficult to remember who played in the previous round. It takes a huge chunk out of the ATP schedule, which is still too long even with a recent three-week reduction, and has left players with the difficult decision of whether to play for their countries or concentrate entirely on the tour.
Among top 20 players, there is great support for change and, with the ATP now behind the Buchholz-Davies proposals, that can only help the reform.
The envisioned tennis festival won’t be just men. Buchholz and Davies want to bring in the WTA, and it’s easy to see why the women, whose team play is Fed Cup, would want to climb aboard. Fed Cup would profit greatly by the increased television and publicity the Buchholz-Davis plan would create.