Haggerty, ITF President, defends the Davis Cup format: 'There was a lot of emotion this week, contrary to what is said'

David Haggerty steps up to the plate: for him, the Davis Cup remains a flagship competition despite criticism and absences. The ITF president insists on the emotion experienced this week and confirms that the competition will continue to evolve to attract more.

By Jules Hypolite

le 24/11/2025 à 15h12

President of the ITF since 2015, David Haggerty yesterday reviewed the final phase of the 2025 Davis Cup, won by Italy for the third year in a row.

Asked about the lack of enthusiasm that may have surrounded the competition, in addition to the absences of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the American responded as follows:

"The Davis Cup has always been, is, and will always be a team competition. It's about representing your nation and playing for your country. I disagree. I saw a lot of emotion this week among the players, after and during their matches, an emotion that we don't see every week.

There is this misconception that the top players do not represent their country. That is false. Some of these top-level players, who took part in the qualifiers, did not reach the final phase."

Haggerty then discussed the future of the Davis Cup, opening the door to possible changes in the coming years:

"We are always open to improving the competition. I think this is reflected in the change we made this year with home and away matches in September, to strengthen the competition, extend it to more countries, and give it an international dimension."