Tennis chiefs announce major change as Davis Cup performs U-turn

Another change to the structure of the Davis Cup has been announced with a return to home-and-away ties next September.

The historic tournament has undergone a number of alterations in recent years, with the most recent format seeing a group stage held just after the US Open. Four cities, including Glasgow and Manchester over the past three years, hosted groups of four teams for a round-robin event that whittled down 16 teams to eight but neutral ties were blighted by low attendances and players complained about the workload.

Now the International Tennis Federation has opted to return to home-and-away ties, with the winning seven teams joining the host nation at a final eight event in November.

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The Billie Jean King Cup will also move to an eight-team finals event next year from the current 12, and in order to make the transition a group stage will be held in April with seven groups of three.

Like in Davis Cup, the winners will then join the host nation for the final eight.

ITF president David Haggerty said: "Today's news is another positive step forward for both the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Davis Cup, and I am excited for the future of both competitions.

"The format amendments aim to build on the success we have seen across both events in recent years and contributes towards our long-term ambition to bring them more in sync under the World Cup of Tennis banner."