However, there is one issue that many people appear to agree on, which the former coach of Serena Williams<\/a> and Naomi Osaka<\/a> has now spoken out against.<\/p>\n The Davis Cup<\/a> is one of the most prestigious competitions in all of sport, and has taken place since its inaugural edition in 1900. <\/p>\n One of the most iconic features of the Davis Cup is the home-and-away ties, which can provide some of the best atmospheres possible in tennis.<\/p>\n However, a big change was made to the competition in 2018 when former footballer Gerard Pique\u2019s investment company Kosmos took over the competition. <\/p>\n This saw the introduction of the Davis Cup Finals, which meant that the latter stages of the event would all take place in one venue and significantly reduced the number of home-and-away ties.<\/p>\n This decision received a lot of backlash, with players including Alexander Zverev refusing to play in the Davis Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n Osaka\u2019s former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou<\/a>, spoke about this issue on a recent episode of the \u2018Business of Sport\u2019 podcast, when asked if he would ever want his Ultimate Tennis Showdown franchise to impact how Grand Slams are played.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, and I would not like it,\u201d answered Mouratoglou. \u201cI think it\u2019s history, you don\u2019t touch history. They killed the Davis Cup and I think it was the biggest mistake possible. <\/p>\n \u201cI said that to Pique, when he did it. I said this is the biggest mistake. He said you did UTS, but I said I created something out of nothing. I didn\u2019t touch anything. Killing the Davis Cup, for people it was so emotional. It\u2019s like you taking the Grandmother off someone and shaking the Grandmother. Leave my Grandmother alone! It\u2019s my history. It\u2019s the same.<\/p>\n \u201cI would not touch the Grand Slams. I think, yes, it\u2019s too long but it\u2019s history and because it\u2019s history and because all the best players in the world compete there. The viewership is a joke. Billions of people watch it, it\u2019s crazy successful. So I don\u2019t see any reason to touch it when things are working so well. Why would you touch it?\u201d<\/p>\n Following heavy backlash, in 2023 the ITF removed Pique and Kosmos from the partnership.<\/p>\n Would the Davis Cup ever go back to its old format?<\/p>\n After Kosmos and the ITF went their separate ways, there was some hope that the Davis Cup would perhaps revert to its previous format.<\/p>\n However, this hope was dashed when ITF president David Haggerty told BBC Sport<\/a> that it would no longer work with the current tennis calendar.<\/p>\n \u201cThe home-and-away format is not going to work and the players told us that in the past,\u201d Haggerty said in November 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would not be a good competition if we went back to only home and away. Sometimes the loudest voices aren\u2019t always the majority.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite these comments, last year the Davis Cup made a decision to add more home-and-away ties after removing the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage and replacing them with a second qualifier round.<\/p>\n These took place for the first time over the weekend, with the Davis Cup being praised for their decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2219628481-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jean Catuffe\/Getty ImagesPatrick Mouratoglou claims changing the Davis Cup was \u2018the biggest mistake possible\u2019<\/p>\n