ANALYSIS: The Davis Cup problem as Djokovic and Alcaraz involvement mask empty crowds in crossroads era

The Davis Cup might not be enjoying its best days in 2024, but the competition itself remains a rather prestigious one. It’s one of the most iconic tennis events, though far from its glory.

There are myriad reasons why it’s come to this, but it’s mainly due to the direction the competition has taken in recent years. For much of its history, the national element of the competition is what drove it forward. You had players competing for their nations in a boiling atmosphere, which made the whole experience much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

It’s not a type of atmosphere we generally have in tennis due to the nature of tennis competitions being international and global. You have multiple players from different countries playing often in a country neither calls home. There is a superb atmosphere, of course, due to the competitive spirit, but it’s not the same. It’s not the same as when you have Novak Djokovic playing in a packed arena in Belgrade or when you have Rafael Nadal wearing the red on the clay in Spain. Those atmospheres are far more charged because there is prestige on the line. There is national pride on the line.

Call it what you will, but most people feel a deep sense of belonging to a country, to a nation, to a culture, and when you invoke those emotions in a competitive setting like professional sports, it can get rowdy. We didn’t have that lately because the new format introduced a couple of years ago stripped the competition of that, at least on the top level. In the lower divisions, we still get that home-and-away format, which is still producing those typical atmospheres.

On the top level, though, we have groups where one of the teams is the host nation, and the others have to play there as well, with barely any fans. Take the example of this year’s Davis Cup, where we had a Canada-Argentina tie played in Manchester, drawing a crowd of only about 100 people. That’s not a good look for a competition that prided itself on having one of the best crowd attendances. If that tie was in Toronto or Buenos Aires, the stands would be packed, especially if it was in Argentina.

As expected, this new format isn’t favoured by the players. Almost none of them have come out to support it, and quite a few of them have had very vocal criticism of it. Stan Wawrinka famously blasted the event for having to play Swiss matches in the UK with barely any people in attendance. It’s not what he remembers of the old format, where he used to play in front of packed stands together with Roger Federer.

It’s a shadow of the former event's glory, which is a shame as it was one of the most iconic events we had in tennis. Not all is bleak, though, as the competition still remains prestigious in the minds of people. A couple of players taking it seriously in recent years have certainly contributed to that. Chief among them is Novak Djokovic, who led Serbia to a Davis Cup trophy in the past but always took the competition seriously.

Even at this stage of his career, where he basically plays only Grand Slams and some other big events, the Serbian doesn’t shy away from playing the Davis Cup. He still considers it one of those important events simply because of that patriotic character. Tennis players don’t often get the chance to play under a national banner. Yes, when they compete as players they represent their country as well, but there isn’t that national flavour to it. You have it at the Olympics, and we saw earlier this year how important that was for Djokovic, who finally went all the way and won gold for Serbia.

He is actually in action this week at the Davis Cup, playing for his country once more. Him taking the competition as seriously as he has done in the past few years certainly didn’t escape some of his colleagues. We’ve seen some of the younger players embracing playing for their country as well, and that’s all part of it. Even with the format being pretty lacklustre overall, these players are seeing some of their childhood heroes still competing, and they want to do that as well. They feel the prestige of the event shining through, and that’s what might ultimately save it.

There have been loud calls from those in charge of the competition to reverse course and make the competition what it used to be. While those are noble calls, and many, including fans and players, would favour it, it seems like those in charge are not really interested in doing that. At least there isn’t any indication that the format will be changing anytime soon, which is a shame. But some of these players taking the competition as seriously as they have in the past might be crucial in saving it and keeping it what it’s been for most of its history.

Crucial in that endeavour is the budding rivalry of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Many analysts consider those two to be the most likely to dominate tennis in the next ten years. While the future is unknown, and we don’t know whether another player might come in, similarly to how Novak Djokovic disrupted the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it’s generally accepted that these two will be good for many years and likely dominate similarly to how they’ve done this year. The four Grand Slams this year were won by them, as Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and Sinner won the Australian Open and the US Open. 2024 might just prove to be the first year when they start dominating.

In any case, both of them have taken great pride in representing their countries in the Davis Cup. Alcaraz has shown tremendous dedication in playing for Spain, basically opting for it even when it doesn’t make sense. He played for Spain days after winning the US Open, even though it was ill-advised. He played for Spain this year as well, even though some have suggested that he should take some time off after the busy summer he had. Skipping it isn’t something he likes to do, even though he’s done it in the past.

You can basically expect him to play for Spain whenever he gets the chance. That’s very good because we’re talking about a player who has four Grand Slams to his name already and is likely to be world number one for many years to come. That’s the best endorsement you can get if you’re a competition, and it’s very similar to how Novak Djokovic treated the competition over the years. Alcaraz would certainly love to match Nadal’s contribution by leading his country to the Davis Cup trophy.

A player many consider his biggest rival in the coming decade already did that. Jannik Sinner led his country to the Davis Cup trophy last year. It was a tremendous achievement for the Italian, who certainly proved the MVP of the Finals in Malaga, where he bested Novak Djokovic, among others, to help his country secure the trophy. Doing that after the long season he had showed how committed he is to the national team, and he’s certainly not going to stop now. Italy has one of the most promising talent pools in the world, with numerous young players coming through the ranks, so the country will be very good for a very long time.

With a roster like that, it makes sense for Sinner to sign up and possibly lead the country to a couple more Davis Cup trophies, solidifying himself as a tennis superstar as well as a national hero. He already kind of is, because by now he’s certainly the best Italian tennis player we’ve ever had, and leading the country to their first Davis Cup trophy in over 30 years certainly made him a huge name in the country as well.

As long as these two continue competing and inspire other fellow players to play the competition, the Davis Cup’s future will be safe. The competition is not enjoying its glory days right now, but things can change, and if they do, we could possibly see the Davis Cup back where it once was – one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. For now, though, we’re stuck in the format that is, but even with this format, we see that national pride in tennis players is still the saving grace of the event. Whether that will continue in 10 or 15 years remains to be seen, but hopefully, it does.