Kosmos received the Davis Cup rights from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for 25 years. Each year, the competition was supposed to bring in 120 million dollars, i.e. 3 billion in total. A few days ago, however, the heads of the national unions received a stark message that the partnership between DC and Kosmos was ending.
So far, the ITF has provided financial guarantees for the 2023 edition, which the Czechia will play in the qualification in Portugal. But what will happen to the team competition in the following years, nobody knows now.
Foreign media are already writing about the swan song of the Davis Cup, whose first winner was decorated in 1900. Over the decades, it has also offered unique experiences to Czech fans who rejoiced at the triumphs in 1980, 2012 and 2013.
“There was a horribly wrong and fatal move at the ITF meeting in Orlando five years ago. We lost the family silverware, maybe gold. Our group, which was strongly against the format change, was outvoted. There was a Davis Cup execution in broad daylight, ” recalled Kaderka, who, in addition to his top position in ČTS, is also the head of Tennis Europe.
However, he considers the current situation, which has shocked a number of national tennis associations, as an opportunity to try to return the Davis Cup to its original format, or at least get closer to it.
“The chance that we could go to matches in Ostrava or Prague again is here. We don’t have Berdych anymore, but young guys have succeeded in Australia now, Menšík and others will come. We could play big matches at home again,” he thinks. Kaderka, who five months ago already sent a letter to the head of the ITF, David Haggerty, expressing his concerns about the further development of the Davis Cup.
“I received an answer that everything is fine. It was not discussed at all at the ITF meeting in Glasgow (at the BJKC final),” revealed the head of the tennis union.
When Kosmos took over the reins of the Davis Cup, there were no financial guarantees, so Kaderka was not even surprised when the whole magnificently presented project collapsed.
Where the future of the Davis Cup will go will be significantly indicated by the September meeting of the ITF, at which the new head of the federation will be elected.
“We don’t want a competition that is played with minimal interest,” says Kaderka. “The key is Europe’s agreement with Asia and, of course, financial security. We are already working on it,” adds the head of Tennis Europe.
