The Davis and Billie Jean King Cups are two of many elite prizes on offer in tennis, although they are not as prioritised by all players.
In fact, multiple times throughout the year, it feels like there is a fresh scandal when top players opt against playing for their nation in favour of personal goals or simply resting for the rest of the campaign.
It is not uncommon, but draws scrutiny all the same, with Brad Gilbert the latest to voice his concerns.
However, his frustration was more aimed at the event itself than the players, and he proposed a solution.
Brad Gilbert claims the Davis Cup needs to make big changes
Speaking on the Big T podcast, the American coach, famed for his time alongside Andre Agassi and Coco Gauff, began by claiming: “I don’t like the format changes that have been made now. The greatness of the Davis Cup and the BJK Cup was home and away ties.
“What needs fixing is the players need to support it. If the players don’t support it, it doesn’t matter what it is. So that bothers me, because way back in the day, it was one of the great events, a cornerstone of the calendar.
The Davis Cup has to make a change… which is your preference?
“But we can say, it totally needs to be revamped, but if they do that, and the players don’t play, it’s a waste of time, no matter what they do in my opinion.”
This prompted Nick Monroe, his co-host, to sympathise with the players, questioning the scheduling of some of the ties that force them to travel from America straight to Australia, to name just one example.
What likely prompted this debate was seeing how weakened the American Billie Jean King Cup team recently was, which shockingly lost to Belgium.
Asked if he would change the frequency of the event to combat these issues, Gilbert argued: “I’m thinking it should either be every two years or every four years. You know, or maybe like the Ryder Cup, but certainly not every year.
“And when you win it, you have to start back, you know. But I don’t like this, where they go to the quarters at a neutral site. And then if your country doesn’t travel, it seems like inconsequential.”
Why the Davis Cup should be every four years
Whilst Gilbert does not specifically advocate for moving the Davis Cup to every four years, there’s precedent for it.
After all, it would truly justify the title of the ‘World Cup of Tennis’, by joining other sports like Football and Rugby in honouring that tradition.
Because of this scarcity, every tournament is revered when it comes around for both players and fans, the former of which are unlikely to pass up the opportunity to play in as they do now.
It could turn it into arguably the most exclusive prize in tennis, similar to the Olympics, because of the lack of opportunities a player would get across their entire career to claim it.
Such a drastic change would also help fix most of Gilbert’s issues too, creating new demand and excitement for the event from across the tennis world.
