Andy Murray Wants A Change Of Format For Davis Cup

 

Andy Murray is backing proposals to change the format of the Davis Cup but is against having the final played at a neutral venue. Great Britain's hold on the trophy came to an end in Glasgow last weekend when Andy and Jamie Murray, Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund suffered a 3-2 defeat by Argentina.

Murray admitted he was tired going into the three-day match and ended it with a thigh injury after playing three rubbers to try and reach the final for the second year running. The International Tennis Federation is looking into ways to improve the quality of the Davis Cup, and its women's counterpart the Fed Cup, with proposals for the latter including a final four event to be played in quick succession.

There could also be a change to the best-of-five-sets format of the Davis Cup, something that Murray would definitely back. Speaking ahead of a charity match in Glasgow, the world No 2 said: “I like the idea of changing the format, maybe shorten the weekend. For me personally the last three days, coming off the back of the Olympics, Cincinnati, the US Open and then being on court for 10 or 11 hours over three days, was really hard. A lot of the players have spoken about that, about potentially shortening the format, maybe playing it over Saturday and Sunday, best of three sets, I like that idea. Certainly to try something different. If it doesn't work you can always change back as well. A lot of the top players have spoken about the scheduling and format of the Davis Cup for a number of years and nothing has changed so trying something new would give the event a lift for sure in terms of the participation of the top players. With the neutral venue, I am not sold on that. I do love the home and away atmosphere that we get in the Davis Cup just now. It is something that we as tennis players aren't really used to because when we travel around the world we are playing in neutral venues a lot of the time and the home and away aspect of the Davis Cup is something that I enjoy and makes it different and special.”