Changes mooted for Davis and Fed cups

25 September 2016 - 02:00 By The Daily Telegraph and Reuters

Future Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals are to be staged at a neutral venue under proposals laid out by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The bidding process for national associations and cities interested in hosting finals will begin in December, with a decision expected next summer.The ITF is also proposing a final-four event for the Fed Cup, which would involve semifinals and final played in quick succession.The Fed Cup world group, meanwhile, would be doubled in size from eight teams to 16, in line with the Davis Cup.Other proposals include reviewing the best-of-five-sets format in Davis Cup, with changes having to be approved at the ITF annual general meeting in August 2017.The proposed changes, particularly a neutral venue for finals, will be controversial, with the home and away element a central part of both competitions' appeal.But the format of Davis Cup makes it very difficult for a lot of national associations to find a suitable venue for the final at only two months' notice and make the event profitable.ITF president David Haggerty said: "This is an exciting moment in the storied histories of these two much-loved competitions. We have enjoyed significant fan interest in both competitions."Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is not overly enthusiastic about the possibility of a neutral venue, but backed proposals to shorten matches in the competition.Croatia host Argentina for the Davis Cup after winning the semifinal last weekend, but a host city has yet to be named."I'm not sold on that [neutral venue]," Murray said. "I do love the home and away atmosphere that we get in the Davis Cup."It is something that we as tennis players aren't really used to because we are playing in neutral venues a lot of the time and the home and away aspect is something that I enjoy and makes it special."The world No2 and Olympic champion, however, supported the idea to host the finals over two days instead of three. "The last three days, coming off the back of the Olympics, Cincinnati, the US Open, and then being on court for 10 or 11 hours, was really hard."Maybe playing it over Saturday and Sunday, best of three sets, I like that idea. If it doesn't work you can always change back."..

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