• Nadal. "Every game is vital in Davis"
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Tennis closes in Madrid, with the big christening of the new Davis Cup undergoing a profound renovation. The final phase of the tournament brings together 18 teams in the Magic Box of the capital that will litigate for a week for taking over from Croatia as winners of the Salad Bowl. The dream of Gerard Piqué , owner of the Kosmos company and forger of a project that initially found the reluctance of some players and federations, comes true with the presence of five top ten : Nadal, Djokovic, Berrettini, Bautista and Monfils . They will not be Federer, definitely oblivious to the tournament and without Switzerland able to achieve the qualification in the previous qualifiers, Alexander Zverev , the only belligerent voice among the elite against the revolutionary transformation, nor Daniil Medvedev , lowered by fatigue. Thiem and Tsitsipas , finalists of the ATP Finals, will not play since Austria and Greece were left out.

"The Davis Cup loses nothing," says Albert Costa in a telephone conversation with this newspaper. “The old format is maintained in the qualifying phase and fans from many countries can see the players up close. It is clear that as it was playing, the competition was diluted. Having 18 teams in the same city fighting for the title in seven days is much more exciting, ”adds the director of the competition. After the International Tennis Federation (ITF) approved on August 17, 2018, with 71.43% of the votes, more than two thirds of the 140 national federations, the drastic transformation, a path started a year later before. «The first time I sat with Gerard [Piqué] was after the 2017 US Open. There were three or four people at the meeting. Seeing where we are and what we are getting is very gratifying, ”recalls Galo Blanco , sports director.

Lack of player involvement

The Davis Cup, with a tradition of 119 years, acquires a more rational character to recover the best, whose disaffection had been subtracting attractiveness to the tournament. «The players had requested it for a long time. It was difficult to guarantee his involvement with the previous system of four qualifiers, which between his dispute, preparation and travel meant a total of 12 weeks a year, ”says Blanco, who trained Thiem when he received the call from Ivan Modia , responsible for operations, to join the project.

One of the objectives is to capture young audiences, connect with the frenzy of the new times. In the opinion of the promoters of the innovative idea, the tournament had become old because of the length of the matches, an obstacle for generations living on social media. The reduction of the qualifiers to three games, all of them to the best of three sets, guarantees greater dynamism, even if it is renouncing the mystique of the old style, which provided emotions different from those of any other tennis competition. «When I got to know Gerard's idea, it seemed crazy at first, but I soon got impregnated with the project. Whenever a change occurs, there are negative comments. It is necessary to digest the transformation, let it be done, ”says Blanco.

The support of most players also has to do with the dramatic increase in the economic reward. The progressive abandonment of the Davis Cup was also related to the limited benefits obtained by its protagonists, accustomed to rate each of their presences very high in any competition. Now 15.3 million euros will be distributed. Kosmos has taken the rights for the next 25 years. Madrid will host the first two editions. The ATP (Association of Professional Tennis Players) has already counterattacked with a renewal of the former World Cup by teams. It will be played by 24 countries in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, from January 3 to 12 of next year, two weeks from the Australian Open, the first big of the year.

The Davis Cup figures

100,000 The tickets that have been sold

430 Companies linked to the tournament

7 . Training Tracks

18 . Countries in motion.

600 . Journalists who will cover the tournament.

90 . Tennis players will be in the Magic Box.

23 . Countries that have displaced special envoys.

3 . Tracks inside the installation.

2,900 . Workers are involved in the project in some way.

18 . Changing rooms of 110 square meters each.

600 . Direct jobs created by the tournament.

42 Millions as an economic impact for Madrid.

23 . Millions of public money has cost to bring the tournament to the capital.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Rafael Nadal
  • tennis
  • Davis cup
  • Gerard Piqué
  • sports

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