German Dietloff von ArnimPresidential candidate of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), spoke of the serious consequences for the highest body of international tennis after the disastrous decision to rely on Piqué’s Kosmos company to revive the Davis Cup and the sensational breach of the only several years ago signed agreement in 2018. In a short interview with the DPA agency, von Arnim said: “The catastrophe we experienced with Kosmos has enormous financial implications for the ITF. The ITF is in crisis, it has suffered tremendous damage, it is a multi-million dollar disaster.”
The German tennis boss, always a staunch opponent of the ITF government’s decision to accept the former Barcelona star’s place and now the main candidate against David Haggerty’s re-election (elections will be held next September), asks “Think about it be very specific about what you want to do with the Davis Cup format, do everything to organize a successful sporting event, because this is the only way to achieve a relaunch and thus financial success.”. “It’s a great event with an extraordinary image, the reform has gotten it into serious trouble and nobody likes it.”
The ITF had sold the Davis Cup rights to Kosmos in 2018 for 25 years. Piqué’s company had decided to change the format of the event with a new formula that left almost everyone dissatisfied and caused a huge financial hole as the numbers at stake at the time of the agreement seemed unlikely to be sustainable. In early 2023, at the urging of many national federations (including the FFT) and due to Kosmos’ failure to pay for the subscription, the ITF decided to break the contract and launch a lengthy legal battle.
