LONDON (AFP) – Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have backed a new men’s team competition just a day after the Serbian raised concerns over the timing of the event, which will take place shortly after the revamped Davis Cup.
The ATP Cup, announced by the ATP and Tennis Australia on Thursday during the ATP Finals in London, will be played from 2020 across three Australian cities over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which starts in January.
It will offer $15 million in prize money and up to 750 ATP Rankings points to the winners.
“I like that it’s owned by ATP, by the players, and that we have ranking points, and it’s going to be the best way to kickstart the season,” said world No. 1 Djokovic.
“More than 90 percent of the time we’re playing as individuals and we don’t have too many team events.”
Federer was upbeat about the new event and said the Davis Cup would not suffer.
“Clearly if the World Team Cup is going to be held, players will want to play that first week of the year, so you would think it’s going to be exciting,” the Swiss said after reaching the last four of the ATP Finals in London.
“The Davis Cup has incredibly rich history. You would think the players are going to play that. From that standpoint, I think there’s not that much change, per se, or more tournaments on the calendar. It just happens that there’s more team events, which I think the players are happy about.”
