ITF President confident Roger Federer will play 2020 Olympics
ITF President David Haggerty spoke about the new Davis Cup format that will be introduced next year. In February 2019, teams will face each other in the qualifying round for the final stage that will take place in late November. Speaking to Daily Mail, Haggerty made an interesting comparison between Davis Cup and Brexit, referring to the criticism that both events have been hit by: 'Not many things in life are 100 per cent in terms of people getting behind any one decision. But if you’re passionate about it you understand that people may be passionate about it in the exact opposite way. Lest I say Brexit. Passion is what our sport’s about and I think that’s really what Davis Cup stands for so I understand the way the crowds feel, the emotion that’s behind it. While I may not outwardly show it, I do have quite a bit of passion for Davis Cup and the emotional aspects as well. We would never do anything that we felt wasn’t the right decision and I think we will see in Madrid a great atmosphere and environment in the stadium.'
Roger Federer has played no Davis Cup ties after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games but he will use the Grand Slam champion rule to qualify for 2020 Tokyo. 'When we go beyond Tokyo, we will have a new qualification system', Haggerty assured. 'We’ve always said we’re open with players. Since there will be fewer opportunities in 2019 and 2020, we expect appeals will be coming in. Davis Cup and Fed Cup are opportunities for players to represent their nations, and that’s exactly what the Davis Cup is about. That’s why it’s so logical the way that it is but we can modify and look at it for the future, and we will.”
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from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2UL5EHN
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