(Melbourne) The organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments pledged on Friday to protect the Davis Cup, whose future is uncertain since the International Tennis Federation (ITF) terminated the contract with Kosmos.

The investment company chaired by ex-Spanish footballer Gerard Pique has been organizing the competition by nations since 2019 under a 25-year, $3 billion contract.

But the ITF announced on January 12 that it was terminating the contract binding it with Kosmos and that it would take over the organization of the Davis Cup this season.

“The Grand Slam tournaments are united in their support of the Davis Cup competition, recognizing its historic importance and role in the sport,” the organizers of the four Grand Slam rounds wrote in a joint statement released in Melbourne where end the Australian Open on Sunday.

“We believe, they add, that it is possible to engage in new discussions with the ITF and the ATP concerning the future of the Davis Cup competition with the ambition to see it restored to an event of leading with an optimal format that benefits players, fans and the sport in general. »

The ITF welcomed the stance, saying it was “looking forward to further conversations” with the Grand Slam Council, which brings together the organizers of the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and United States Open. United.

Kosmos offered a largely revisited formula – and adjusted year after year – of the national team competition more than a century old since its 2019 edition. But since its radical reform, with the abandonment in particular of the popular home and away matches (first round except) and matches in five sets, the competition struggled to convince.

The final of the 2023 edition will take place as planned in Malaga, Spain. It will bring together eight nations that have qualified in a preliminary round.

Kosmos is contesting an “unjustified breach” of the contract with the ITF and has seized the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).