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Reactions: Davis Cup

Users sound off on Davis Cup format

Andre Agassi has voiced his displeasure with the Davis Cup format. AP

American tennis players such as Andre Aggasi have said the Davis Cup tournament should be revamped to occur every two years. We asked CNNSI.com users for their opinions on this issue. The following is a sample of the responses we received:

The Davis Cup format should stay the same. It's been this way for 100 years. Why should they change it just for Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras? What about the rest of the world? Don't they have a say as well? Pete and Andre should just stop trying to change the system every time it conflicts with their schedule. Either play in the Davis Cup and represent your country, or play the ATP tournaments and make your millions.
Russel Sequeira, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Davis Cup should retain its current form. Players from the United States struggle with the format because of the time commitment, and the desire to perform well at individual tournaments. I sympathize with their complaints, but a two-week format would minimize the importance placed on "team competition" in almost every country outside the United States. Ultimately, Americans need to emphasize the importance of Davis Cup to our best players if they are going to be compelled to participate.
Chris Kurowski, Newport News, Va.

The Davis Cup is a fantastic event for tennis. It unites people to rally around their heroes in the tennis world to "win one for all of us." In my opinion, it is more prestigious than Olympic tennis. And the fact of the matter is many countries around the globe have tennis as one of their top 3 sports. Davis Cup is a monumental event for many people. I agree with Agassi and Sampras that it should be held every two years, though, because it can be taxing on the players. If a country does well, they have to devote four weeks of their year to the Davis Cup! The Ryder Cup in golf is only a week and that is held every two years. I think if it were held every two years, the fans and the players would be more supportive of the event and it would be good for tennis in general.
Jim, Royal Oak, Mich.

It definitely should be changed to accommodate top-ranked players to play for their respective countries. It should not be played within the Grand Slam season.
Larry Miranda, Morristown, N.J.

If the current system has been working quite well for nearly a century why should we change it? I don't see the benefits of changing such a traditional competition. If some players don't want to defend their country flag on a tennis court, that's just their problem. But we should not put in jeopardy the most traditional national tennis competition just for the sake of the economic interests of some tennis players.
Javier Buron, Madrid, Spain

When you say that many players complain about the tournament's schedule, you are talking largely about American players. Davis Cup is an international competition and any changes made should consider the opinions of players and fans from around the world, not just in the United States.
David Rhodes, Littleton, Colo.

Davis Cup is my favorite tournament in tennis, but because it is spread throughout the year (and in various countries), it is difficult for networks and the USTA to promote it. I believe it would be best to reserve part of each year solely for the Davis Cup, so it can get the exposure it deserves.
Rafael Marshall, Alexandria, Va.

The revised format that Agassi, Sampras and McEnroe are proposing would create a much more entertaining product for the fans. I envision a two-week tournament with the atmosphere of a World Cup event: players with colorful team uniforms, a diversified and vocal flag-waving crowd. NCAA tennis team matches and the current team tennis league are good examples of the potential drama that could be generated in an otherwise tedious and difficult to appreciate format.
Curtis Sayers, Newton, Mass.

Keep everything the way it is! I am so tired of hearing the plights of the spoiled brat US players. There is more to tennis than seeing American men win anyway! The Americans, except for a couple of the up and coming juniors like Dent, are nothing to write home about anyway.
Tony Pelosi III, Hawthorne, N.J.

I believe we have a number of talented Americans that are willing and ready to represent the US in Davis Cup competition. Let's talk about Agassi and Sampras for now. Both are getting up there in retirement age. Both would like to concentrate on the Grand Slams and save themselves for the tournaments that "really count". With the current Davis Cup format it almost forces them to choose which events to play. They will play for their country, but the format makes it difficult. It is pride and honor verses career and health to keep playing until their last playing days. This, I believe, is what the players have to contend with. Is it all about money? Of course not. I am also not saying our players will only play for money. Our top players will play when the format for Davis Cup play is more forgiving.
Cecil Ledesma, Chester Springs, Pa.

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