The Davis Cup remains one of tennis’s most prestigious competitions, yet the format introduced in 2018 has continued to draw criticism.

The event once followed a home-and-away model, with ties contested over best-of-five sets. That structure was replaced just under a decade ago, when the Davis Cup Finals were transformed into a single-site knockout event featuring eight teams.

The switch has not won universal approval. Several leading players have voiced their dissatisfaction, among them Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Roger Federer also opposed the move, even though he appeared only sparingly in the competition during the later stage of his career.

Federer’s objection was rooted in concern for what the change meant for the next generation. Speaking in 2018, he said: “Then for Davis Cup, I don’t know how the votes work, to be honest. But clearly the ITF has never historically involved the players, so that is saying — but the federations, yeah, we’re kind of there but we’re actually not there.

“They decided to do that. I’m still a bit surprised. I feel sad about not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. Will never be the same. This is for the next generation, and I just hope that every penny will be paid of that mass of money that has been paid for the next generation, because we have seen a similar situation way back when with the tour and it set us back in a big way.

“I don’t want that to happen again. But, look, I’m all for innovation, and gotta give them a chance to some extent. It will be interesting to see how it’s going to work.”

Despite his reservations about the modern setup, Federer did experience one memorable Davis Cup triumph. His only title in the competition came in 2014, when he and Stan Wawrinka helped Switzerland defeat France in the final and secure the nation’s first-ever victory in the event.

Federer opened that final with a straight-sets loss to Gael Monfils, but he recovered to beat Richard Gasquet. He then partnered Wawrinka in doubles, and the pair also defeated Gasquet and Julien Benneteau in straight sets as Switzerland completed a 3-1 win.

He finished his Davis Cup career with a 40-8 record in singles and a 12-10 mark in doubles.

Ben Shelton drew attention by going straight from a US Open final appearance into Davis Cup duty. After losing in four sets to Alexander Zverev in New York, the American travelled to the Czech Republic to join the United States for its tie in Prague.

His first match there did not go his way. Shelton fell 6-4, 6-4 to Jiri Lehecka at the Prague Arena, leaving the contest level at one win each after Learner Tien defeated Jakub Mensik.

Asked in his post-match press conference why he chose to play Davis Cup so soon after his first Grand Slam final, Shelton made clear that the decision was never in doubt. “I’m just happy to be representing the USA here. I think it’s an honour to be able to play,” said the American about playing the Davis Cup.

He also explained the personal context behind the choice. “I missed the tie we played against Czech last year post- US Open because I was injured. I wasn’t going to miss this one no matter what happened at the US Open. No, I’m not feeling tired, and super excited for Day 2 to try and put this match away tomorrow.”

Shelton will not, however, follow that commitment into the Laver Cup the next week, even though he had previously signed up for the team event. He was due to be part of Andre Agassi’s Team World at The O2 Arena in London, but a crowded schedule has forced him out. Brandon Nakashima will take his place alongside Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, and Alexander Bublik.

His next expected stop is the Japan Open, which begins on September 30th. Shelton will enter as the second seed behind Carlos Alcaraz and arrives as a former champion, having won the tournament in 2023. He did not play it last season, so he carries no ranking points to defend.

That gives Shelton room to keep pressing Alcaraz in the ATP Tour rankings. The gap between them is 880 points after the US Open, leaving Shelton with a real opportunity to close in during the final stretch of the season.

Novak Djokovic is still competing with a new wave on the ATP Tour, a testament to the longevity of the 24-time Grand Slam champion. For two decades, he sat at the summit of the sport alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but since their retirements, his results have been more uneven.

The Serbian has found life tougher against Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, and he has not lifted a Grand Slam trophy since the 2023 US Open. Even so, Djokovic remains a major presence on the ATP Tour, and Grigor Dimitrov has suggested that the former world No. 1 has clear opinions about where the men’s game stands now.

Speaking to SpilXperten while representing Bulgaria at the Davis Cup, Dimitrov said: “I’ll be honest with you now. The past years I have kind of distanced myself from the ATP Tour.

“Of course, I am on the Tour, but I have distanced myself from keeping up with certain trends or whatever.” My life has always just been about tennis. In a way, age is just a number, but in our sport the gap increases a lot. You can definitely see that, and it`s not only on the court things have changed. It is also just about interactions. I don`t even know everyone on the Tour now. We can laugh about it, but it’s a bit sad.”

Dimitrov also said Djokovic shares his view of the current landscape.

“I feel the same as Novak,” explained the Bulgarian. “A part of me left with Roger and Rafa. Absolutely. We actually had that talk with Novak, where we talked about the challenges and the obstacles back in the day, you know that era of tennis…

“Without disrespecting any players, that era will always be the most challenging that I have ever had to face. I was not only the chaser, but I was trying to conquer the most massive players all the time. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to fulfill the older you get. It sucks.”

Djokovic is close to forty, but retirement does not appear imminent. He is due back at the China Open at the end of September, his first appearance at the ATP 500 event since 2015. The tournament has been one of his strongest, with six titles and no defeats there.