Zverev Slams New Davis Cup Format: "It's a Waste of Time"
Freshly eliminated from the ATP Finals, Alexander Zverev can now prepare for the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna. However, the German, who is not a fan of the new format, considers this competition to be more of an exhibition than anything else.
Zverev is leaving Turin earlier than he had hoped. The German continued his tricky season by being eliminated from the Masters in the group stage. Beaten by a very solid Auger-Aliassime on Friday evening, Zverev is not, however, done with his season.
The 28-year-old player will indeed be in Bologna in the coming days with Germany and will take part in the Davis Cup Finals (the Germans will play against Argentina for a spot in the semi-finals), a competition he initially did not want to play.
But Zverev has aligned with Sinner's view, who had stated a few hours earlier that the Davis Cup was missing the thrill of home and away ties, and that it would be better to return to that format rather than organizing a match between the United States and Australia in Italy, for example.
"I agree with Sinner. The real Davis Cup is the away or home matches. I am happy to play an extra week after the ATP Finals. But playing the Davis Cup quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final in a matter of days, I don't like that. It's a waste of time. Whether you lose in the semis or the quarters, it's a waste of time.
The real Davis Cup is an atmosphere. Playing against Italy in Italy is completely different from playing Italy in Spain. I played against Rafael Nadal in a bullring, after all. That's the real Davis Cup.
And that's what I've thought for a few years now. We are no longer playing the real Davis Cup. In a way, it's an exhibition and we call it the Davis Cup," lamented Zverev, who then discussed his participation in the Final 8 next week.
"Struff won't have many more chances to win it, same for the doubles team. I'm playing because they insisted I come. But it has nothing to do with the Davis Cup itself," the world number 3 simply replied in comments reported by L'Équipe.
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