If not for Rafael Nadal & Spain, Davis Cup 2019 would have been a disaster: Top Czech official

Rafael Nadal led Spain to a dramatic win at the 2019 Davis Cup, much to the delight of the Madrid crowd. The triumph will go down in history not only for its unusual circumstances, but also for the fact that it was the first edition of the revamped Davis Cup format.

Recently, however, Czech tennis federation president Ivo Kaderka criticized the new format of the long-running tournament. Kaderka claimed that if it weren't for Rafael Nadal and the other big names on show, the tournament would have been a complete disaster.

Rafael Nadal saved revamped Davis Cup from failure, so they cancelled the competition early this year: Ivo Kaderka

Rafael Nadal with the triumphant Spanish team at the 2019 Davis Cup

Kaderka used some strong words against the revamped Davis Cup format, saying it didn't have the power to attract spectators. The tournament underwent a radical change in its structure after the company Kosmos (headed by footballer Gerard Pique) took charge of proceedings, but not everyone is a fan of the new rules.

The Czech tennis official was also quick to criticize the early cancellation of the Davis Cup finals this year, despite the fact that the competition was scheduled to be held as late as November.

"I would say that last year they had no audience at all and if it weren't for Nadal and Spain it would have been a total disaster," said Kaderka.

"Coronavirus really came in handy for those who promised millions for the Davis Cup. Now they say that without fans it is impossible to sustain the format," he added.

Kosmos reportedly invested $3 billion to help the International Tennis Federation implement the new format. The competition came to a close in one predetermined city - Madrid - at the end of the year, where multiple teams battled it out to get their hands on the prestigious trophy.

Debuted last year, the Davis Cup featured the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. However, the finals saw matches ending as late as 3am local time, and often in front of empty stands.

Spain, who were both the hosts and the eventual champions, were the big story throughout the event. Rafael Nadal won every match he played, extending his unbeaten record at the Davis Cup, while Roberto Bautista Agut also did his but just days after the passing of his father.

Having deviated from the traditional best-of-five sets format too, the competition came in for widespread criticism last year. And Kaderka believes the ITF and Kosmos have decided to take the easy way out by cancelling the competition rather than seeing out another failure in 2020.

It remains to be seen how the tournament fares when it returns in 2021. For now, it continues to be an object of controversy.