Novak Djokovic says Davis Cup and ATP Cup hurting each other

Novak Djokovic has changed his schedule so he can play in the ATP Cup, but says tennis would benefit if the tournament is combined with the Davis Cup.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic practices at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena ahead of his opening match of the ATP Cup on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

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Novak Djokovic has called for a combined World Cup of tennis rather than separate Davis and ATP Cups.

A day after Canada’s rising star Denis Shapovalov asked for the Davis and ATP Cups to merge, Serbian great Djokovic made a similar plea on Thursday for the betterment of the sport.

The inaugural 24-nation ATP Cup starts in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth on Friday, while the new-look Davis Cup finals took place less than two months ago in Spain.

World No.2 Djokovic, who is targeting an eighth Australian Open title this summer, said the Davis Cup, run by the International Tennis Federation, and the ATP Cup were hurting each other.

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Serbia’s Novak Djokovic practices at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena ahead of his opening match of the ATP Cup on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

“We need to have one super World Cup event,” he said at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

“That’s not going to happen next year as well, but if the two sides, the ITF and the ATP get together very quickly, it can happen possibly for 2022.

“I hope it will happen because it’s hard to get top players to commit to play both events, the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup

“And they’re six weeks apart, so they’re not really helping each other in terms of marketing, in terms of the value of the event, and so forth.

“And one is very early in the season, one is the last one in the season.”

To play in the ATP Cup, Djokovic changed his regular January schedule.

Normally the 16-time Grand Slam singles titles winner would start his year by playing in Doha at the Qatar Open.

German ATP Cup captain Boris Becker (left) chats with Novak Djokovic in Brisbane on Thursday. Picture: AAP

“I like playing in Doha. I’ve always felt very welcome there,” Djokovic said.

“The organisers, I have a really good relationship with them, so I always liked that tournament because, as well, it’s kind of halfway to Australia. It’s easier for my family to be with me.

“But the ATP Cup is a new product, a new baby of ATP, and I thought it was also my responsibility because not just of the ranking that I have, but also being part of the (ATP Player Council) and bringing this together in the last couple of years with everyone else, that there definitely was no doubt that I would want to play, especially the inaugural first year of ATP Cup.”

Serbia is in Group A of the ATP Cup with South Africa, France and Chile.

“The team spirit and the team competition is truly something special and it awakens that kind of new, I guess, dimension of energy and dedication and motivation that we have,” said Djokovic, who meets South Africa’s Kevin Anderson on Saturday night at Pat Rafter Arena.