It is true to say that these will be days of a future past for the Davis Cup 2025, which will change format starting next season. And it is a dive into the past, with a formula that will reintroduce several main aspects that had been abandoned in recent years. The about-face does nothing but certify that the current format has not been particularly appreciated and has not recorded the hoped-for success among the players and the organizers themselves.
The draw that will define the pairings of the first round, scheduled for February after the Australian Open, will be held on December 2. The 13 teams that have passed the playoff phase of World Group I and the other qualified teams that played in the group stage in 2024 will be involved, excluding the defending champion team - in this case Italy and the host of the Finals of the competition, which will most likely be China, if the rumors from Zhuhai are confirmed. An important and insidious obstacle for many teams, who may not have the best players available and therefore risk being surprised by an outsider.
United States, Australia, Spain, Germany and many others, will have to take to the field. This brings Davis back to having greater interest already from the first months of the year.
The 13 winners, plus the Italian title holders, will be protagonists in another phase. We return to the past with direct clashes, at the home of one of the two teams. The home court advantage thus returns to being a determining factor in every challenge. Seven teams will secure a spot in the Finals 8 - the last to take part is the host nation - which will not undergo any changes in format compared to last year.
Teams with strong singles players could certainly benefit from these changes: the margin of error increases slightly and there should be a greater chance of seeing the favorites go all the way. This is because each match will be the best of five, including four singles and a doubles match over two days. Compared to the past, the best of three sets matches remain confirmed, with a shorter duration.
