Johnson criticizes the "worst format ever" of the Davis Cup after the United States' elimination
The Czech Republic pulled off a surprise by eliminating the United States during the Davis Cup qualifiers. Following the defeat, former player Steve Johnson harshly criticizes the current tournament format.
Last weekend saw the second round of Davis Cup qualifiers. After a tight match, the United States, with Taylor Fritz, 32-time champions of the competition, were surprised at home by the Czech Republic in Delray Beach. Frances Tiafoe lost the decisive fifth match against Jakub Mensik.
The visitors have thus joined the Final 8, where they will face Spain for a spot in the semifinals. In any case, this new format is not universally accepted, as former professional player Steve Johnson pointed out in the Nothing Major Podcast.
"In the end, it all comes down to the fact that the current Davis Cup format is incredibly bad. It is undoubtedly the worst format ever, the competition has lost all its appeal. It's horrible, but that's what they decided to do with the tournament in recent years.
Having the final phase take place in a single city is an aberration; all of this is harsh. For my part, I would have liked this tournament to take place every two years, frankly, because it is obvious that the current format does not work," said Johnson, former world No. 21, in the podcast.
Whichever format, I've never paid attention to this meaningless competition.