Feliciano Lopez isn't buying an ATP-points hustle towards Davis cup matches but demands respect for the tradition

Feliciano López expressed that it would be "unfair" for tournaments like the Davis Cup or the United Cup to award ranking points.

Former world No. 12 Feliciano López responded in an interview with "Punto de Break" when asked about the possibility of distributing points in the Davis Cup to attract more prominent players to the tournament and, in turn, encourage a larger audience presence and more exciting competition.

The Spaniard disagreed with the idea, stating that it would be unjust compared to players who are competing in other tournaments during the same week:

“I don’t think team competitions should offer points, I have always been against this idea. Neither the Davis Cup nor any other competition,” Lopez said.

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“For example, I don’t think the United Cup should give points or the old ATP Cup. It is unfair treatment compared to the other tournaments that are played that week, where you can never earn the same points as playing a team competition, where you can face a player who is #500 and win more points than another who wins that week against a top50 and gets 20 points. I am not in favor of points in team competitions.”

“You cannot give the Davis Cup the points that you give in a Masters 1000 or a tournament of that level, it is not comparable, it does not make sense,” Lopez explained.

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Lopez, who represented Spain in 31 ties, playing a total of 42 matches, emphasized the historical significance of the event and mentioned the downside, such as playing with some empty seats, an issue that Stan Wawrinka raised in recent days.

“This competition is a hundred years old (Davis Cup was founded in 1900), the best players in the world have played it, we must make people see what this tournament means. Little by little they will understand it, any young player who has lived this experience I am sure that he will not forget it. The calendar is what it is, but not for the Davis Cup, it is a problem in general for the world of tennis.”

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“Playing in an empty stadium is perhaps the worst part of the current moment we are experiencing with the new format, the fact of only having an incredible atmosphere when the home country plays,’ Lopez admits.

“It happened to us (Spain) during two years in Madrid, in our case, we have been very lucky because since the change we have always been able to play in Spain. Of course, going to play the Davis Cup in another country in an empty stadium… I understand that it shouldn’t be like that. That is why we are open to continuing to evolve with this format so that this happens as little as possible. But it is not so easy.”