Long-time Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann fills roles that go far beyond being a team leader for the German men’s national team. The 50-year-old obtained initial travel information for his players after the draw for the Davis Cup group phase carried out by the World Tennis Federation (ITF) on Tuesday, as he told the FAZ.
He began looking for reasonable flight connections from New York to China, because his German team is playing in Zhuhai, southern China, directly after the US Open in New York from September 10th to 15th. And this despite the fact that no Asian nation is represented in the group: the USA, Chile and Slovakia.
Getting from New York to China on time is very difficult with at least 26 hours of travel time and a 13-hour time difference. “If a player like Alexander Zverev makes it to the singles final of the US Open, it is practically impossible to be fit to play on Tuesday in Zhuhai,” said Kohlmann.
More money on the horizon
The world association made this decision to award one of the four groups to China primarily for financial reasons. The Finnish Tennis Association, which qualified for the round of 16 nations, expressed regret that its bid to host a group was rejected and the ITF chose China instead.
Those responsible from Asia promised more money. Money that the ITF urgently needs since the end of its collaboration with the billion-dollar Kosmos consortium around former professional footballer Gerard Piqué. According to information from the FAZ, the world association is expecting a deficit of twelve million US dollars for the organization of the Davis Cup 2024, including the final round in Malaga.
ITF justifies venue
There is a legal dispute in the background that was initiated by Pique and could mean the bankruptcy of the ITF in the event of a defeat. In the midst of this mixed situation, those responsible on the Davis Cup board are finding it difficult to find a financially strong main sponsor for the former prestigious competition. BNP Paribas had paid almost $20 million as a financier before Kosmos.
“It’s a shame that the ITF didn’t accept Finland’s offer,” said Kohlmann. He imagines the atmosphere in Zhuhai to be very difficult without the host team taking part. In response to a query from the FAZ, the ITF pointed out that the final of the best eight last year was also a success without a team from the host team and at the same time justified the choice of the Chinese venue. “Our role as global guardians of sport is to make tennis and our events accessible to as many people as possible.”
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Despite the travel effort, Kohlmann assumes that “everyone wanted to play.” However, Zverev has a contractual say in the Laver Cup, which takes place in Berlin on the weekend after the Davis Cup group phase. Zverev answered a FAZ query on Wednesday diplomatically: “Under these circumstances, it is too early to comment on this and see how all this influences my tournament planning. It’s still a long way until September.”
