MADRID, 31 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The ATP, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Kosmos Tennis have reached a strategic agreement to support the Davis Cup by Rakuten starting in 2023.
In this way, the ATP will have two seats out of six in the new Davis Cup Committee together with the ITF and Kosmos, promoters of the competition. The agreement officially brings together the ATP and ITF with the Davis Cup for the first time in history.
In addition, the Davis Cup Finals and the qualifiers become part of the ATP calendar, in weeks 5, 37 and 47, and the competition will have a greater diffusion on the ATP channels. “This integration will help players plan their annual schedule when they are chosen to play for their Davis Cup national team,” the organization announced. The Finals will continue with the current format, offering $15 million in prize money in 2023.
ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi explained that his competition’s priority is “to create the best possible experiences for fans and players.” “Offering compelling international team competitions that fit into the year-round calendar and continuing to innovate is a vital part of that. Davis Cup has an incredibly rich history and we are excited that this important new partnership will drive the event forward from 2023,” he said.
For his part, ITF President David Haggerty said the agreement “further reinforces the importance of team competition and the unique role of the Davis Cup in elite men’s professional tennis.” “The Davis Cup, which is part of the Olympic qualification route, is the biggest annual men’s team competition in sport and the only men’s team competition on the professional tennis calendar in which players are officially called up by their country,” he pointed out.
“Together with the Women’s Billie Jean King Cup, it shows the ITF’s total commitment to delivering spectacular tournaments that players love to play in and great matchups between nations that fans in the stadium and entire countries enjoy supporting,” he added.
Finally, the CEO of Kosmos Tennis, Enric Rojas, stressed that it is a “very important agreement for the three parties and especially for the players”. “In the last three years, the format of the competition has been improved to reach a greater number of fans, generate a greater impact and facilitate the participation of the best players in the world. We hope that the event will grow even more in the coming years” he pointed out.