There has been much criticism of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup formats in recent years, but fans may be encouraged by some of the changes to the Davis Cup format for next year.
The Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup (known as the Fed Cup until it was changed in Billie Jean King's honor) built a reputation for fiercely partisan atmospheres during ties, with fans passionately supporting their countries.
There were many notable examples. One is the extraordinary noise from the Argentinian fans in Croatia throughout the 2016 Davis Cup Final. Argentina dramatically won the final 3-2, including Juan Martin Del Potro recovering from two sets down against Marin Cilic to level the tie at 2-2.
The home and away ties used in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup were a significant reason for those atmospheres. They made both events unique since tournaments are held at neutral venues throughout the season.
That made the changes to both competitions very controversial. Since 2019, the Davis Cup Finals has not featured any home and away ties, with the qualifiers now held in four different locations and November's knockout stage always held in Spain.
Novak Djokovic previously gave his thoughts on the new format, expressing concern that some teams do not get an opportunity to perform in front of home crowds to inspire the next generation.
The Billie Jean King Cup retained home and away ties throughout all stages in 2019, but November's final stage has been held in one location since 2021. However, the event retained home and away ties for the qualifying stage for November's showpiece.
Both tournaments are still significant tournaments on the ATP and WTA calendars. That is why Rafael Nadal is in Spain's team for the Davis Cup final 8, while Naomi Osaka boosted Team Japan's hopes by confirming her involvement in November's finals.
Nonetheless, those who cherished the old Davis Cup format will be happy with the changes that have been announced, although it still does not represent a return to the format that was used for several years.
The qualifying rounds at next year's Davis Cup will consist of two home and away ties in February and September, meaning the group stage used since 2019 will be scrapped in 2025.
Home and away ties for the final 8 are not part of the changes, with one location still being used. The only change in that area is the host nation will qualify automatically for the knockout stage in 2025.
Those are positive changes for Davis Cup traditionalists, but those who loved the Billie Jean King Cup when it consisted purely of home and away ties will not be as happy with the announced changes.
Next year, the qualifiers will be held in seven groups of three teams, with one host nation per group. That still means two-thirds of the matches will involve a home team, but that might still disappoint some.
However, fans who do not like that change need not despair too much. Home and away ties in the qualifiers will be reintroduced in 2026, meaning next year's format is only temporary.
The seven group winners will qualify for the year-end Billie Jean King Cup finals, and the host nation will automatically qualify to complete the eight teams participating.
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