"Whoever came up with these rules know nothing about tennis" - Alexander Zverev & Boris Becker call for urgent changes to Davis Cup format

Alexander Zverev and Boris Becker have joined their fellow tennis players in criticizing the current format of the Davis Cup Finals, which has been slammed for its scheduling decisions.

Becker took particular issue with the current organizers of the Davis Cup, Kosmos Investment Group, led by Spanish football star Gerard Pique, pointing out their lack of experience in organizing tennis tournaments.

He called on the International Tennis Federation to drop the current format, where teams in one group play all their matches at one venue, and return to the old 'home-and-away tie' format.

“Guys, whoever came up with these rules knows nothing about tennis! A change has to be made quickly, perhaps even back to the old format with home and away games,” Becker said.

Fellow German star Alexander Zverev agreed with Becker, stating his displeasure on Instagram.

Zverev reminisced about the Davis Cup as one of the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournaments that any amount of money cannot bring. He also wants the event to return to its original format and honor its history.

"Absolutely 100% right! The Davis Cup is one of the oldest competitions in the world that money could never have brought. Back to the real Davis Cup and back to tennis history," Zverev wrote in an Instagram story.

Screengrab from Twitter

This discourse about the Davis Cup format started after Stan Wawrinka shared an image of empty stands during his 2023 Davis Cup Finals tie against France in Manchester, Great Britain.

Andy Murray agreed with Wawrinka and highlighted the disadvantage of players competing away from fans.

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Alexander Zverev leads the field at Chengdu Open 2023

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev has somewhat salvaged his 2023 season with an impressive performance over the last few months and hopes to continue that form in China.

The 26-year-old is currently in Chengdu, China, to compete in the ATP 250 Chengdu Open as the No. 1 seed. Lorenzo Musetti, Grigor Dimitrov, Dan Evans, and Alexander Bublik are in the top 5 seedings.

The Chengdu Open will begin on September 20 and conclude on September 26. Zverev is also scheduled to compete at the ATP 500 2023 China Open, which will be held in Beijing from September 28 to October 4.

Zverev will play in Chengdu after an impressive showing at the US Open, where he reached the quarterfinal. The German defeated Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov in New York and, as a result, climbed back into the top 10 ranking (currently World No. 10). He also reached the semifinals of the Western and Southern Open and won the ATP 500 Hamburg Open.