‘It’s a disaster’ – Former top 10 star blasts Davis Cup
Former US Open doubles champion Nikola Pilic has claimed the current Davis Cup format “is absolutely not worth it” and urges caution over future changes.
Croatian Nikola Pilic believes that the organisers of the Davis Cup will transform the event into something completely removed from what made it such an iconic competition, speculating “they would go to America and do some show there that has nothing to do with the Davis Cup.”
It has recently been announced that next year’s event will be held in five host cities and will feature less teams. There have also been proposals to move the tournament to Abu Dhabi, although this idea has been met with a mixed response.
Multiple former players, namely Todd Woodbridge and Tomas Berdych, have also been critical of the constant moves and format changes and Pilic is the latest to air his concerns.
Pilic has decades worth of Davis Cup experience and became the first captain to win the Davis Cup trophy for three different nations: Germany in 1988, 1989 and 1993, Croatia in 2005 and Serbia in 2010.
French Open finalist Pilic told Croatian sports newspaper Sportske Novosti that “if the players wanted certain changes after 130 years, that’s fine, but what this Barcelona footballer (Spaniard Gerard Pique) and some other people next to him who bought a lot of money did is a disaster!
“I ask them, where is the atmosphere? The Davis Cup used to be a symbol for the right atmosphere, where is it today?
“Coincidentally, two years ago in Madrid, Spain reached the semi-finals and then the final. If it weren’t for that, there would be no one in the hall!
“I don’t want to belittle anything, but this system that is being made now is absolutely not worth it,” Pilic vented.
“Watch out, they are now saying they will take the final to Abu Dhabi, so after three years they would go to America and do some show there that has nothing to do with the Davis Cup.
“The Davis Cup is playing for your country, it’s the emotions, the atmosphere, everything is buzzing, this is where the real players get the most out of themselves.”
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