The Davis Cup, which is a men's team event in tennis, has been one of the most prestigious team events in the sport. But, the competition has fallen by the wayside, and to bring back interest in the competition, the International Tennis Federation, which runs the Davis Cup, has proposed to bring a new format in 2019.
But it seems that Roger Federer is not a fan of the new format, and said in no uncertain terms that he will not be a part of the competition.
"No, I highly doubt. We'll see what happens. I don't think this was designed for me anyhow. This was designed for the future generation of players," said the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
In the new format, 18 teams will compete after the end of the season, where the teams will face off against each other for one-week continuously at a single venue.
This could result in players playing back-to-back matches which could be tiring, considering the tournament is at the end of the regular season.
Federer had previously been critical of the competition and the person heading these changes, Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique, whose firm, Kosmos, are the ones proposing these changes. "The Davis Cup should not become the Pique Cup," said Federer earlier this year.
The Swiss star has also got support from Novak Djokovic who has said that he will most likely support and play in the World Team Cup, which will begin in 2020.
"I just feel like the date of the Davis Cup is really bad, especially for the top players. Between the two, I will prioritize the World Team Cup because that's a competition of ATP," said Djokovic.
Federer and Switzerland have won the Davis Cup once, in 2014, but he hasn't featured in the competition since 2015.
