This year’s Davis Cup Finals have made headlines for all the wrong reasons…
The world’s top two players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, both withdrew from the Davis Cup, leaving Germany’s Alexander Zverev as the only top-10 player attending the event.
Weighing in with his thoughts on their absence, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi suggested that the Davis Cup needed reform.
Alcaraz and Sinner both agreed with Gaudenzi and were intrigued by the idea of a two-year Davis Cup, with the reintroduction of home-and-away ties.
Reacting to the debate, 1976 Davis Cup champion Paolo Bertolucci had this to say.
Paolo Bertolucci says the Davis Cup is declining ‘year after year’ and calls for change.
Writing for La Gazzetta dello Sport, Bertolucci gave his verdict on the Davis Cup.
“It should be emphasized that, unfortunately, Bologna hosts a tournament with only one player in the top 10 and two in the top 20, both because there have been countless dropouts and because some of the strongest players have modest teams and haven’t qualified,” he said.
| Name | Team | ATP Rank | Best 2025 Grand Slam result | 2025 Titles |
| Alexander Zverev | Germany | 3 | F – Australian Open | 1 |
| Jiri Lehecka | Czechia | 17 | QF – US Open | 1 |
| Jakub Mensik | Czechia | 19 | 3R – Australian Open/Wimbledon | 1 |
| Francisco Cerundolo | Argentina | 21 | 3R – Australian Open | 0 |
| Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 22 | QF – Wimbledon | 2 |
“Thus, the level of the tournament declines, year after year.
“I believe this is a very strong message from the players to the institutions, telling them that things can’t continue like this and that this new format isn’t sustainable. “
Will you still be watching the Davis Cup without Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner this year?
Bertolucci proceeded to share his ideas on how the Davis Cup could be improved.
“I believe the only solution, as some have already suggested, is to make the Davis Cup a two or three-year tournament, so that players can have four weeks off during that season,” he said.
“We should also return to alternating home and away matches: it would be the best advertisement for nations like Argentina, Serbia, or Japan, who don’t have the opportunity to see their stars live.”
Since the format changed in 2019, the ‘Davis Cup Finals’ have only been held in two countries: Spain and Italy.
Davis Cup Finals locations since 2019
- 2019 – Madrid, Spain
- 2021 – Madrid, Spain
- 2022 – Malaga, Spain
- 2023 – Malaga, Spain
- 2024 – Malaga, Spain
- 2025 – Bologna, Italy
This year’s tournament is being held in Italy, where the home side is searching for its third consecutive title.
Can Italy win another Davis Cup in 2025?
After winning in 2023 and 2024 with Sinner in the team, Italy faced the challenge of defending their title in 2025 without their star man.
Making a strong start, Italy beat Austria in the quarterfinals to move one step closer to the trophy.
Italy vs Austria – 2025 Davis Cup QF
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | Matteo Berrettini (Italy) | Jurij Rodionov (Austria) | Italy (1-0) Austria |
| 2 | Flavio Cobolli (Italy) | Filip Misolic (Austria) | Italy (2-0) Austria) |
| 3 | – | – | Italy (2-0) Austria) |
They are now just two rounds away from winning three consecutive titles at the ‘World Cup of Tennis’.
The last 10 Davis Cup champions
Next up for Italy is Belgium, who defeated neighbours France in their quarterfinal match.
Belgium vs France – 2025 Davis Cup QF
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | Raphael Collignon (Belgium) | Corentin Moutet (France) | Belgium (1-0) France |
| 2 | Zizou Bergs (Belgium) | Arthur Rinderknech (France) | Belgium (2-0) France |
| 3 | – | – | Belgium (2-0) France |
Only time will tell who will reach the final, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Italy will play Belgium in the semifinals of the 2025 Davis Cup on Friday, November 21.
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