Davis Cup 2017 World Group R1 - Canada v Great Britain - 3-5 February

wolf · Tennis legend

Davis Cup 2017 World Group R1 - Canada v Great Britain - 3-5 February

indiana · Tennis legend

Ha, but we like to chew the cud

If we do play France and France want to play on clay at the start of the clay season against possibly Andy and Kyle bring it on ...

steven · Tennis legend

paulisi wrote:
The big issue to me is to get the top players to turn up. The main issue is to ensure the scheduling is correct, not the week after a GS.

But that's when the players asked them to hold it LOL

indiana · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
paulisi wrote:
The big issue to me is to get the top players to turn up. The main issue is to ensure the scheduling is correct, not the week after a GS.
But that's when the players asked them to hold it LOL

I guess that actually works for the vast majority of players. Even most top players will have more than a week off before the Davis Cup tie starts.

It's your regular Slam semi finalists and finalists that it asks more of playing the week after Slams. Though of course one would want the very top players ready to play the top team event rather than a Serbia vs GB tie missing both Djokovic and Murray ( even if that last time Djokovic's absence wasn't down to any long Wimbledon run ).

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 22nd of September 2016 01:57:42 PM

JonH · All-time great

indiana wrote:
Ha, but we like to chew the cud

If we do play France and France want to play on clay at the start of the clay season against possibly Andy and Kyle bring it on ...

At least we dont have to spend much time speculating and debating which venues in the UK will host matches next season ! blankstare

Smudge226 · Strong Club Player

Neutral venue, combined SF & Finals, 3sets, 2days... This was not in Dwight Davis's original format of 1900... You can't go and change the very DNA of this unique International tournament... This reeks of commercial interest on the back of the recent upsurge in the competitions popularity both for attendance and TV.

philwrig · Hall of fame

I've got no problem with a neutral venue for a final, but its got to be a sensible one, i.e equidistant between the two finalists.

paulisi · Tennis legend

That's the problem though Phil.

These large venues have to be booked 12 months in advance -Belgium and GB were struggling to find suitable venues with a 1-2 month window.

Smudge226 · Strong Club Player

Ok the neutral venue location is a rubbish idea to my mind but what about the surface..? The Latin's prefer clay, the US prefers hard, GB and Australia often will choose grass, there seems to be plenty of carpet in Asia and most of the northern latitudes would be very familiar with indoor hard conditions for home fixtures... They would have to say that its indoor hard for the next X-years just so that ITF can market the thing and make a good windfall each year.. You still can't book your flights and hotel until after the SF anyway so it is only the venue we are talking about, that they consider problematic. I don't see its a massive problem the venue, this is an excuse to my mind. Nations may have struggled to find venues but have any ties been aborted yet because there was nothing available... I don't think so.

Lets have a look at the Champions League final shall we as they have named this format as some Holy Grail idea.. A crowd full of corporates to maximise revenues, limited seats for real fans at sky high prices, already travelling across continents, random city with prices through the roof, its not actually that good for spectators, in fact its rubbish.. I wonder what sort of atmosphere two to five thousand corporates would generate.. This doesn't suit anyone other than the ITF bean counters.

The dubs on the same day as reverse singles is bugging me... A minor nation with one outstanding player (like GB in recent years) would struggle to play that player in both, back to back rubbers 3 & 4. It can only come in with the 3set idea but still a huge ask for potentially 6sets. Minor nations would be less competitive.

Lets get on to the 3set idea. GB would now be in the final with this format after Andy was 2-1 up against Delpo in the SF but I still don't like it. There is a purity about the original 5set format, a heritage to preserve. Playing and supporting your country should not be about money or making it more convenient because there is no money, its about wearing the shirt..

paulisi · Tennis legend

It would mean specialist doubles players - I don't think you could play singles and doubles back to back, unless doubles was played in an evening session, with significant rest.

Most courts in November would be indoor hard or indoor clay. I'm sure the bidding team would get the choice anyway.

philwrig · Hall of fame

paulisi wrote:
That's the problem though Phil.

These large venues have to be booked 12 months in advance -Belgium and GB were struggling to find suitable venues with a 1-2 month window.

I do like the concept of a neutral venue for a final, but if it's going to have to be played in outer mongolia, because as you say it's tough to find a suitable available venue nearer the time, then that is a problem I agree.

Jan · Hall of fame

paulisi wrote:
It would mean specialist doubles players - I don't think you could play singles and doubles back to back, unless doubles was played in an evening session, with significant rest.

Most courts in November would be indoor hard or indoor clay. I'm sure the bidding team would get the choice anyway.

Perhaps the teams would have to be 5 instead of 4 to have someone in reserve in case of injury etc.

Smudge226 · Strong Club Player

Davis Cup WG R1: Canada v Great Britain - Venue: TD Place Arena (Indoor hard), Ottawa Dates: 3-5 Feb 2017

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

RE: Davis Cup 2017 World Group R1 - Canada v Great Britain - 3-5 February

Smudge226 · Strong Club Player

Adrian Durham trying to have a go at Andy on Talksport Drive from 4pm this afternoon. Suggesting Andy is out of order not being available for provisional GB squad after being Knighted.. What an idiot, plenty of people ringing in and defending Andy, as if he needed it. Goughy giving him plenty of stick for his lame attack on Amur. Mildly amusing really but at least they talked tennis for a hour on the talkfootball channel. He really winds me up but I guess thats the idea. There hasn't been any mileage in attacking Amur so he's moved on to Coutiniho and Payet, in the news for possible moves. Complete tosser this bloke, he's going off..