"It's a flaw with this format, it's difficult to get motivated" - Murray after Great Britain's Davis Cup fiasco
ATP
Andy Murray doesn't like the new Davis Cup format, as there's always a chance that one of the ties could be meaningless.
In the past, the Davis Cup was known for its rowdy atmosphere, as countries got to host their ties, which made the competition very special. But that has changed in recent years, and there is a group stage format, which sees four nations competing in one arena.
Because of that, only one country has the home advantage, and often, the ties of the other teams don't see many fans in the stands. That's one of the downsides of the new format.
Another downside is the fact that if a country loses its first two ties, its third tie will likely be a dead rubber. With no ranking points on offer at the Davis Cup, players basically have nothing to play for.
That's the situation that Great Britain is in at the 2022 Davis Cup after losing to the Netherlands and the United States. And ahead of their dead rubber tie against Kazakhstan, Murray criticized the format, saying it's hard to get motivated for a tie that doesn't mean anything.
"Yeah, I mean, I have not met a player that loves playing dead rubbers and dead matches. Yeah, it's difficult to get motivated. Obviously, the way that we have lost these two matches as well makes that even tougher."
"Yeah, it's a slight flaw with this format in that you have essentially, on the Sunday, on the final day, there is no tennis. Well, there's tennis, but it's kind of dead, irrelevant, the results of it."
"That's what brings the energy and the passion, I think, from the fans and the players. So, yeah, wish we were still alive on Sunday."
On Sunday, the Netherlands and the USA will play for the top spot in the group. On the other hand, the tie between Kazakhstan and Great Britain will be a dead rubber.
