No change in Davis Cup singles match format: ITF

The singles match format was one of the reforms for the Davis Cup and Fed Cup that were proposed during the ITF Annual General Membership (AGM) meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. ( ITF president David Haggerty, PNA)

MANILA, Aug. 4— The Davis Cup singles match will still be played in a best-of-five sets format, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Friday.

The singles match format was one of the reforms for the Davis Cup and Fed Cup that were proposed during the ITF Annual General Membership (AGM) meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

“The AGM did not approve the proposal for singles matches in Davis Cup to be played as best-of-three tiebreak sets, rather than best-of-five sets.

The motion received 63.54 percent support from member nations, but each reform required a two-thirds majority in the voting,” read the ITF statement emailed to the media.

The AGM approved the following proposals: 1. The finalists in both Davis Cup and Fed Cup will be guaranteed the choice of hosting their first-round tie in the following year; 2. Match court availability and practice court requirements will be lower to reduce hosting costs for national associations; and 3. Davis Cup pre-tie commitments for players will be reduced to a single function combining the draw, post-draw press conferences and interviews, and an official lunch.

“We respect the decision of the AGM but are disappointed that our member nations have not approved the full package of Davis Cup and Fed Cup reforms endorsed by the ITF Board. Change is needed to ensure the long-term future of these iconic and historic competitions, and we remain committed to working with our national associations and other stakeholders on finding ways to enhance Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas,” said ITF president David Haggerty in the statement.

The Davis Cup and the Fed Cup are the biggest annual international team competitions in men’s and women’s tennis, respectively.

The Davis Cup, which began in 1900, has attracted 134 teams in 2017.

The Fed Cup has existed for 54 years and a total of 107 countries have joined this year’s tournament.