Japan captain: Davis Cup should be every 2 years

Tennis should scrap the Davis Cup's current format and hold the competition every two years to reduce wear and tear on players, Japan's captain Minoru Ueda told AFP in an interview on Sunday. "If we don't have a break, players are simply going to break down," Ueda said after Japan had been whitewashed 5-0 by title holders the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals. He believes asking players to squeeze international duty into increasingly packed schedules threatens to push the Davis Cup to breaking point. In the last five years the 'big four' of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have skipped as many ties for their countries as they have played. Czech talisman Tomas Berdych chose not to play in Tokyo, calling for the Davis Cup to be played "at least every two years", a sentiment shared by Ueda. "I think so too," he said. "It should be every two years, maybe four. Probably two years is best. These days it's more unusual for players not to be pulling out with injury, especially the top players." Ueda, who lost Japanese number one Kei Nishikori to a groin injury before the Czech tie, supported Berdych's claim that the strain being placed on players risks diluting the magic of the competition, which has been going for 114 years. "To maintain the status of the Davis Cup and boost its profile, the scheduling needs to be looked at closely, to make it something everyone wants to play in," said Ueda. "We shouldn't be relying on players having to choose. The ITF (International Tennis Federation), and the ATP Tour need to sit down and create a scenario where players can have a proper off-season, rest and be able to achieve peak performance." Ueda said he understood how players would be wary of biting the hand the feeds them but insisted something had to be done. - 'Right balance' - "It's a tough one," said the 56-year-old. "The tours bring in money and provide a living for the players so you need to find a balance." While the ATP Tour has blazed a trail in new Asian markets, in countries which do not stage top-level tennis events, the Davis Cup generates soccer-style support and valuable revenue -- as in the Czech Republic. "The emotions we experienced with our country and fans is something you cannot buy," said Radek Stepanek, a toddler when Ivan Lendl led what was then Czechoslovakia to win the title in 1980. Ueda suggested setting aside a week in the season to play Davis Cup top-16 ties. "With the World Group, you could perhaps open a spot in a calendar where the teams play a tournament," he said. "It would attract massive attention." Ueda, meticulous in his preparation and a deep thinker of the game, guided Japan to the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time under the modern format this year but was stung by his team's drubbing by the Czechs. "Right now it hurts," he said, leaning back on his chair and biting his lip. "We had chances. You keep thinking 'what if?' It's hard. "The players now know what it's like when Nishikori can't play, which was a new challenge and a good experience. It will give us extra energy to do better next year," he added. Ueda already has one eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and beyond. "I want to take Japanese tennis in a direction where it's full of people with passion and intellect, where analysts and health specialists are as common as trainers and coaches," he said. "The Olympics should be a stepping stone to a bright future." Source: AFP