Melbourne: Promoters of the World Cup of tennis concept don't think its introduction would mean the demise of the Davis Cup.
Melbourne-based sports and marketing firm gemba has been developing the World Cup idea for 14 months and been presenting it to tennis organisers and certain players for the past six.
The proposed event would involve rules changes and 32 teams playing in a 10-day biennial event at a single venue, based along the lines of the football World Cup.
Details emerged on Wednesday when Novak Djokovic discussed it at an Australian Open tuneup event at Kooyong. No 3-ranked Djokovic said the ATP's Player Council, which also includes No 1 Roger Federer and No 2 Rafael Nadal, would discuss it over the next two weeks.
The International Tennis Federation issued a statement defending the importance of the Davis Cup, the 110-year-old men's team event.
Demand
Gemba director James Hird, who was travelling to Los Angeles when the details started emerging on Wednesday, said there was a place for the new tournament in a crowded calendar.
"We certainly don't want it to replace the Davis Cup — that's certainly not the intention," Hird said in a telephone interview. "Being Australian, Davis Cup means a lot. But there's a consumer out there who wants more. And if we can bring a new tennis fan to the game, that's what we're aiming for."
Hird, formerly a highly-awarded Australian Rules footballer, said the format and rule amendments meant the concept could have a similar impact in tennis as Twenty20 has in cricket — offering something to fans of the sport while also attracting new supporters.
"If it has the same success as Twenty20 cricket, the tennis family would be very happy," Hird said. "It's not as radical as that. There's questions about viability, calendar and scope of the rules...but it can work."
