Davis Cup set to be revamped into World Cup-style tournament

The Davis Cup is set to be transformed into an 18-nation World Cup-style tournament under new proposals put forward by the International Tennis Federation.

It is hoped the new event, named the World Cup of Tennis Finals, would feature the game's leading international stars and be played in one location over seven days at the end of each season.

It would involve a round-robin stage with the top eight teams moving forward to knock-out rounds.

The proposal has been unanimously endorsed by the ITF board of directors and will be submitted for approval at the annual general meeting in Orlando, Florida in August.

The ITF has announced a 25-year partnership, worth three billion US dollars, with investment group Kosmos to fund the tournament. The federation says "several world-class cities" have already expressed interest in hosting the event.

ITF president David Haggerty said: "This is a complete game-changer for the ITF and for tennis. Our vision is to create a major season-ending finale that will be a festival of tennis and entertainment, featuring the world's greatest players representing their nations to decide the Davis Cup champions.

"This new partnership will not only create a...