ATP stars back Gerard Piqué's tennis world cup proposals
The Barcelona defender is part of a consortium working on a revamped version of the Davis Cup, a tournament many players prefer to avoid.
Gerard Piqué’s plans for a World Cup of tennis tournament to revive the fortunes of the tired Davis Cup format have met with the approval of some of the game’s top stars.
The plans laid out by Piqué’s consortium, which would see the whole tournament take place in one location, have been backed by Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Murray: "It would be a very, very good thing for tennis"
"I think that it's a really exciting idea. If it comes off, I think it would be a very, very good thing for tennis," said Murray after his defeat to Borna Coric at the Madrid Masters on Thursday.
Piqué was in the Spanish capital on Monday and Tuesday this week with negotiations ongoing on when and where such a tournament could fit into the packed tennis schedule.
"Tennis needs an event like that, and I think it would be very good," added Murray.
The current Davis Cup format sees matches spread over three days in February, April, September and November, which the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have been reluctant to change.
As a result many of the sport's biggest stars have turned their back on the competition in order to prioritise preparations for Grand Slams
Nadal: "The ITF haven't moved with the times"
"For many years they have been static," Nadal said of the ITF. "They haven't moved with the times or looked for new solutions.
"Piqué is part of a group that wants to create a world cup that would be a great and very interesting tournament to compete in. It would be a fantastic initiative if it goes through and hopefully it will."
Djokovic also backed the plans after saying he had met personally with Piqué "several times."
"The schedule is quite complicated, but I'm really glad that there are people like Gerard that are willing to invest the time and energy to make this game better," said the Serb. "Hopefully it's going to come to life."
The new world tournament could also compete with Roger Federer-led Laver Cup which will be played for the first time in Prague in September.