Tennis 2022 – show must go on
Davis Cup started as an inter-nation competition between USA and England in 1900. Beyond doubt became the propellant of the early tennis popularity in Europe and Americas, subsequently globally in the next 120 years. Davis Cup has 200 nations in its event.
Russia beat Croatia in the final of the Davis Cup last week, winning the title for the third time. The final Cup took place in Madrid, Spain with 18 teams converging in one place playing in a compact format. Russia’s first-ever Davis Cup win was in 2002 and the second in 2006. This year’s success is after a lapse of 15 years. Russians have the best cluster of players. Entire Russia’s team is in the Top 10 of the world.
This year players had to accommodate unknown contingencies. In that sense, conclusion of the Davis Cup deserves an appreciation along with players’ effort. In the last two years, tennis navigated unknown and uncharted waters. At times, it was very grim.
Russian Davis Cup Team
The Russian team consist of Medvedev ranked No.2, Rublev No.5, Karatsev No.8 and Khachanov No.9. Their opponent in the final, Croatia got to final mostly with the contribution of Marin Cilic, former world’s No.2. Now he has dropped down to 30. Others in the team were Borna Gojo at 276 and Serdarusil at 242. They were not adequate to hold the Russian challenge. Tall heft Cilic very nearly won the first set against Medvedev.
For a nation to win a team event, they will need a ‘good pack’ of players. Very few nations have this requirement. My observation is, when a player or two are dominant from a nation, better said over dominant over a long period of time nations suffer in team building capability in the subsequent period. In recent times, this has happened to USA, Switzerland, Spain and Serbia. Reason for it is somewhat difficult to fathom but it has repeatedly happened to nations in many sports.
Player requirement
In sports, players and teams often dip after a peak. Cricket has repeatedly shown this over the last three decades in many top end cricketing nations. I have noticed experts warning Australia. Maintenance of peak competition cluster is an interaction between development strategy of a nation for 10 to 22 age group players and competition-exposure-design for them to evolve to gain competition maturity. Often when nations fail in these, players go to other nations with stronger competition base. Many sports persons went overseas from Sri Lanka for this reason.
Davis Cup is an indicator of the tennis standard of a nation. With professional bodies, ATP and WTA delivering better options for players globally, player focus on their programme. These apart from stimulating, the players also provide sustainable financing formula. In reality, Davis Cup has become a distraction now. So much so, Davis Cup has been remodelling to survive.
Many would remember nations with support of ITF debarred other participations of players during the Davis Cup competition week. This directly violated player’s liberty. Often player violation here was heavily penalised with ITF support. At that time, most events were ITF sanctioned and it did hurt the players. It was one of the reasons for the appearance of ATP and WTA. ITF and National Associations lost ground, popularity and control with such moves.
Changes to format
Many good players have insisted and got changes to the global tournament structure for ranking in the past three decades. Not all have of them turned out to be good. These initiated by dominating players trying edge advantages. In a way, it is understandable. No player can be at the top for decades. When a player is at the top, time ticks against them. This is when they try to change the rules to their advantage.
WTA /ATP in 2022
What will it be? WTA has put out a list of events for January in the Australasian region. The immigration regulations of Australia will decide its success. The precautionary arrangements include mandatory vaccination proof to enter Australia with quarantine of some nature. In the present global pandemic situation, this is justified.
An issue and a deadlock
Along with these, WTA has come up with the issue in support of a senior players from China. A ‘me too’ claim. As it is now, is a standoff. China contributed a lot to WTA in the past few years. China invested and enhanced player development very effectively in the last 15 years. Most amount of Spanish tennis coaches outside Spain is in China. Chinese women players are very prominent in Women’s Singles and Doubles and their absence from the circuit will disturb WTA. China is the Asia’s leading tennis nation. Something amicable must surface to defuse the situation for the sake of the game. This must happen before 2022.
ATP has come out with a flexible six-month competition calendar for 2022. No one knows how the year will materialise. All professional global calendar involves lot of air travel. Good few players tested positive in the circuit.
As for Tennis, one could hear Freddy Mercury song echoing ‘the show must go on’.
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; Accredited Coach of German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup; coached Top 200 ATP, WTA and ITF Top 50 — 077 544 8880.