The Billie Jean King Cup has finished for another year, with Italy celebrating another successful campaign.
Jasmine Paolini was toasted by Italian tennis chief Angelo Binaghi after she once again produced the goods against a heavily fancied USA team.
Paolini offered some sympathy to Jessica Pegula after beating her in the final, with the Italian boosting her confidence after a mediocre few months.
Lindsay Davenport reacted after failing to win the title for Team USA once again, and their wait for the title goes on a little while longer.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images for Billie Jean King CupSteve Johnson calls for major Billie Jean King Cup change
It would appear that the new concept of the Billie Jean King Cup is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Paolini discussed the crowd at this year’s event, which took place in Shenzhen in China, with the tournament finals having a different host every year.
Johnson doesn’t think that is ideal and has called for the matches to be played in a home and away format, much like the old Federation Cup used to be.
He said on the Nothing Major podcast: “It was tricky because it’s the same week as Laver Cup. They are doing a one-week neutral site venue in Shenzhen. The neutral site for Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup is horrible. Bring back the home and away ties!
“I cannot stress that enough. I will not enjoy these events until they have the home crowd feel.
“It’s pretty bad, I think. But that being said, it’s no surprise that Italy and the USA were in the final.
“The two best teams, in my opinion, on paper, the most accomplished teams, and it was a surprising result. I thought the US were going to get that done. Italy had Paolini play singles and Cocciaretto. She beat Emma Navarro in the first match, which set the tone, which was a bit surprising.
“Emma had played very well in all her matches in Shenzhen and gone undefeated up until the finals.
“I don’t know if nerves got the better of her in the moment, but unfortunately, they lost both singles, so it didn’t come down to a doubles, which I think would have been fun to play for a Billie Jean King Cup final.
“It’s tough for Coach Davenport not to get the win. They have not won since 2018, so it’s a bummer. I think it’s a bummer for the men to have it in Bologna, Italy, coming up, and it’s an even bigger bummer for the women to have their final in Shenzhen, China.
“I just don’t think that’s right for them or for any team atmosphere for somebody not to have a home tie in a finals match. I think it’s crazy.
Johnson won’t like Billie Jean King Cup schedule
The bad news for Johnson is that the next two Billie Jean King Finals are scheduled to take place in Shenzhen.
However, he does have a point regarding potential tweaks for the event in the future.
Playing in a competition that sees players represent their countries should be all about home crowds cheering on their own players.
Although the crowds have by no means been bad in Shenzhen, they’re not going to be as partisan as if one leg was played in the United States and the other in Italy.
It’s easy to understand why they choose to have all of the finals matches under one roof, but Johnson definitely throws up some food for thought when it comes to the future of the competition.