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As fierce as on the Wimbledon courts these days is also fought backstage – for power and money. The ATP the men 's professional club, made last week for the start of the championships for a shot: with the announcement of the reintroduction of a team competition of its own. here 2020.
1978 to 2012 took place before the Open de France, but was only recently a second class event. Now ATP has found a new date with Tennis Australia and apparently also powerful financiers: At the beginning of the year, when the tennis elite is already in Australia, should to be in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth (preliminary round) and Sydney (final round) This is a frontal assault on the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which provides for a similar format through the reform of the Davis Cup for its final round in November, less than two months earlier. And in September, the Laver Cup, created by Roger Federer and manager Tony Godsick, takes place in non-Olympic years. Many team competitions in a short time.
The End of the Hopman Cup
It comes to the fact that the ATP plans mean the end of the Hopman Cup in Perth. The popular mixed event set a new record in January, when Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic won with 106,424 spectators. The Swiss duo is already registered for the next event – it will be the last. At least in Perth
The event belongs to the ITF and could be moved to another location later in the year. This is up to date for the tennis association but not the biggest concern. First, it is to bring the Davis Cup reform internally. Vice President Rene Stammbach is a great advocate, he recently presented the reform to the French federation and got the approval. On August 16, the ITF is at its General Assembly in Orlando on the future of the Davis Cup, a two-thirds majority is needed.
A no would be fatal, says Stammbach. With the cosmopolitan group of Barcelona professional Gerard Piqué, behind which evolves the Japanese billionaire Hiroshki Mikitani (Rakuten), the tennis association has found a powerful donor: they would pay three billion dollars for 25 years.
Davis Cup Finals in Madrid
The Davis Cup, with 18 nations scheduled for the final round, would be so highly re-evaluated – more than $ 20 million in prizes would be distributed and the stars would be attracted by start-up guarantees. It is expected that the final of the Davis Cup will be held in Madrid for the first three years in the "Caja Mágica", which has a lockable roof. The ATP attack now turns the ITF into a September competition. Which in turn would cause little enthusiasm among those responsible for the Laver Cup.
And what does Roger Federer say? Not having been part of the ATP Players Council since 2014, he was not involved in the World Cup team debates and was somewhat surprised: "If the ATP and Tennis Australia raises something, it will certainly be a success The question is: what happens to the Davis Cup? We have to position ourselves to tennis to be strong compared to other sports. And do not get involved in struggles
But this is happening right now, the next few years will show who has the longest puff and the most money behind him.
(Tages-Anzeiger)
created: 10.07.2018, 07:38
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