Roger Federer,Rafael Nadal had different views on Davis Cup format -Insider
In an interview to La Tercera, Hans Gildemeister, one of the main Davis Cup personalities, commented on the new format that has been introduced in the team competition. Gildemeister applies a wait and see mode: 'In the beginning, I did not like it, because the little countries didn't have the opportunity to see a big team playing at home. We had the United States playing in Santiago. Also, you will play over a week. You will have to see how it works in two or three years... Otherwise, you will have to make a step back. But you have to innovate because top players are competing into it less and less. This year will be very important. Federer did not agree on a lot, Nadal did, they play in Spain. They have mixed feelings."
As a player, for Gildemeister Davis Cup was the main priority: 'For me, the Davis Cup was more important than playing ATP events. I was preparing for it weeks before because the matches were very long. I defeated (Guillermo) Vilas twice, one when he was the world No. 1. I defeated him in Santiago and Buenos Aires. I also defeated (Jose Luis) Clerc and (Stefan) Edberg too. And Michibata.'
"We reached the top eight twice, we played against the United States on grass and we got very close to defeat them. We defeated them in Austria. Massu and Capdeville were playing the singles and doubles, which was tough."
Nadal is committed to play the 2019 Davis Cup for Spain that faces Croatia and Russia in the group stage. Switzerland did not reach the finals as they lost just to Russia
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2N9PTXI
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