Zverev will play the Davis Cup despite calling the current format an “exhibition” and a “waste of time”
Alexander Zverev had strong words against the current Davis Cup formula, but he wants to give a chance to his friends to win it.
Alexander Zverev, ATP Finals 2025 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Alexander Zverev confirmed he will play the 2025 Davis Cup after his loss against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP Finals on Friday, despite calling the current format an “exhibition” and a “waste of time.”
The world No. 3, included in the Germany team for the 2025 Finals next week, is one of only two top-10 players to participate, alongside Carlos Alcaraz from Spain, as most elite stars like Jannik Sinner or Lorenzo Musetti skip the event due to scheduling and format concerns.
“I’ll play it now because my teammates and my German colleagues really asked me to play, because they feel like everybody’s getting older. ‘Struffy’ (Jan-Lennart Struff) doesn’t have many opportunities anymore. The doubles guys (Krawietz – Puetz) either. I’m playing it just because of that reason. For me, this has nothing to do with Davis Cup.”
“Home-and-away ties”
Even more than Sinner and Alcaraz, who were vocal the day before, Zverev was candid about his feelings, stating, “The true Davis Cup is the home-and-away ties. For me, if you’re in the final of Davis Cup, I’m more than happy to play one more week after the ATP Finals. But to play quarterfinals, semifinals, I’m not too happy about because it can be a waste of time.”
He emphasized the atmosphere as the heart of the competition: “To play against Italy in Italy, it would be a completely different atmosphere than playing Italy in Spain. I played against Nadal in a bullfighting arena in 2018. That’s for me the real Davis Cup.”
Zverev even said: “I don’t think this Davis Cup is the real Davis Cup. It’s an exhibition tournament in a way that is called Davis Cup.”
