It\u2019s time for Davis Cup again but does anyone really care? Here\u2019s what\u2019s wrong and a suggestion for fixing it.<\/b><\/p>\n
Okay, So What\u2019s Wrong With Davis Cup?<\/b><\/p>\n
Which would you rather win: a slam title or Davis Cup? Duh.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the prize money for a slam title? Oh, about $1.4 million. And a whole lot more if you win the U.S. Open title and the U.S. Open Series.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the prize money for a Davis Cup title? Much less.<\/p>\n
How many ranking points do you win for a slam title? 1000<\/p>\n
How many ranking points do you win for a Davis Cup? 0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not quite as simple as that but it\u2019s close. Look at this week for instance. Great Britain is playing its Davis Cup tie in Argentina this coming weekend but Andy Murray<\/b> won\u2019t be there. He says his knee is injured and it could be.<\/p>\n
But Murray is also not wild about slogging through two five set matches on clay in Argentina then flying back and, one week later, playing Rotterdam on a fast indoor surface when he has big points to defend. Murray won the San Jose Open last year and though he\u2019s playing in Rotterdam this year instead, the points still come off that week.<\/p>\n
By the way, the Rotterdam\/San Jose switcharoo has appearance fees written all over it and that\u2019s unfortunate. San Jose will not get its defending champion because Rotterdam may have waved a bigger pile of money at Murray than San Jose did. If San Jose waved money too, they can hardly complain, but tennis fans should complain.<\/p>\n
Back to Davis Cup. The point is that you don\u2019t get any ATP points for Davis Cup, it\u2019s unlikely that Davis Cup payouts can compete with appearance fees plus tournament prize money, and you might be playing on clay in the middle of the spring indoor season which increases the chance of injury. Great Britain can\u2019t really complain about Murray\u2019s decision. Does Great Britain want to win a Davis Cup or do they want Murray to win a few slams including, oh yes please, a Wimbledon or two?<\/p>\n
Roger Federer<\/b> and Rafael Nadal<\/b> agree with Murray. They\u2019re not playing this week and David Ferrer<\/b> has pulled out too. Andy Roddick<\/b> is unusual in this day and age for his steadfast commitment to Davis Cup but, then, he\u2019s seldom in the hunt for slam titles these days.<\/p>\n
How to Fix Davis Cup<\/b><\/p>\n
Here are two suggestions under discussion:<\/p>\n
1. Give players ATP ranking points for playing a Davis Cup tie.
\n2. Schedule a yearly two-week Davis Cup event after the U.S. Open.<\/p>\n
Players skip Davis Cup to prepare for tournaments that give them ranking points. Giving them ATP ranking points for Davis Cup play would address that problem but how would we do it?<\/p>\n