The new $13 million concept to shake-up tennis
Tennis is set for yet another shake-up after a lucrative idea for the busy competition schedule was tabled.
The Telegraph reported a 64-man tournament labelled ‘The Majesty Cup’, with a prize pool of $13 million in a winner-takes-all format, has been announced.
Following the outrage over the approved revamp of the 118-year-old Davis Cup, masterminded by Gerard Pique’s investment group Kosmos, the Barcelona footballer is set to have a hand in this proposition as well.
But not all tennis fans seem happy about it.
Slightly annoyed Fed’s pic used for that “Majesty” Cup report. Ps can Picque just quietly leave, thank you.
— Susie20RF (@pandsreid) September 20, 2018
Majesty Cup? 64 men playing an exhibiton tournament? Are you out of your mind or? @3gerardpique
— berfin çelik (@BerfinRF) September 20, 2018
The Majesty Cup sounds like something that would get made up offhandedly on @themaindraw only to never be spoken of again
— Cody Fitzpatrick (@CodyFitz96) September 20, 2018
Pique opens Twitter to see how the Majesty Cup announcement went: pic.twitter.com/E20fuudHUk
— Matthew Willis (@MattRacquet) September 20, 2018
Embarrased to have to talk anything called Majesty-something. This is a tacky-ass-name if I ever heard one. Now I am worried about the branding of Davis Cup – and all Kosmos things https://t.co/M49eGxpFWZ
— Lucy Bush (@LucyBush) September 20, 2018
I'm not up for watching tennis turning into prize fighting. Which is what is happening.
— BadToss (@BadToss) September 20, 2018
The Majesty Cup would technically be an exhibition, much like this weekend’s Laver Cup, and it would be scheduled for a week after the US Open in September.
When the Laver Cup was announced by Roger Federer over two years ago, it was regarded as an adventurous proposal for a sport that has maintained a relatively unchanged schedule for such a long time.
Since then, tennis has seen an introduction of several new concepts that have shifted the game dramatically – the challenge will be convincing the players to enter, and potentially risk leaving empty-handed as they battle for such a big reward.
To put it into perspective, the first edition of the revamped Davis Cup will be held in Madrid or Lille from November 18-24, 2019.
The event will feature matches played over the best-of-three sets, culminating in a week-long tournament to determine the world champions.
Kosmos was the influencer behind the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) vote to turn the sport’s most famous and oldest international men’s team tournament into an 18-team ‘World Cup’ event.
The ITF say that their 25-year agreement with Kosmos represents a total investment of $US3 billion ($A4.1 billion) into tennis which will transform the global development of the sport.
So now that the Majesty Cup has entered the frame, it has become clear the prospect of changing the Davis Cup finals from November to September has faltered.
Paving the way for The Majesty Cup to cement a September slot.
with Agencies.