The International Tennis Federation agreed by a comfortable margin to embark on a groundbreaking reform that will radically transform the Davis Cup. The main change consists of concentrating the competition –which has until now been distributed throughout the year– into the space of one week. The old format had meant that in recent years the biggest names in this sport have been absent from the Davis Cup due to their accumulated commitments to other competitions.

The first two editions in 2019 and 2020 will probably be held in Madrid during November, and will represent a significant source of revenue for the Spanish capital. A total of 18 countries will take part in the new competition, which is expected to attract the world's leading players and restore the visibility lost in recent editions.

The new format is sponsored by the Kosmos group, founded by the football star Gerard Piqué, which will invest 3 billion dollars in this sport over the next 25 years. Part of the investment will go toward increasing the prize-money to 20 million dollars to raise the Davis Cup to the level of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Kosmos can count on the support and investment of Larry Ellison, the American owner of Oracle, who announced in August: “I readily embrace innovative ideas and opportunities which is why I am not only lending my written support, but will also become an investor in this competition”.

Enormous potential

Dave Haggerty, president of the International Tennis Federation, said: “By voting in favor of these reforms, we will be able to work with Kosmos to realize the huge potential of the competition and elevate it to new standards. This new event will create a true festival of tennis and entertainment which will be more attractive to players, to fans, to sponsors and to broadcasters”.

For his part, Gerard Piqué said: “We are convinced that the agreement ratified by the nations certainly guarantees the future of the Davis Cup and the development of tennis at all levels”. He added: “It is a great honor for me to be part of this historic process of a sport that I am passionate about”.