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Over the years, it has been stated that America doesn't care about events such as Fed Cup and Davis Cup. The fact that it is hosted annually, that the top players don't always play due to scheduling problems, and that is is too spread out throughout the year are some of the reasons given. Here we are, the United States, screaming to the world that we are "falling behind" in player development and "losing the top players to other sports" and "we have no Americans grabbing the reigns" to market the sport here.
Now in the semi-finals of Fed Cup against the Russian powerhouse team, we cannot get our top 3 players to consider playing the event. My question:
If the players do not feel this event is important enough to attend for their nation, what chance do we think the future of Fed Cup has in bringing attention and credibility to itself? Proposal: When a player takes a wildcard from the USTA, attach an obligation to it that commits the player to represent their country in the future. Is this really something so far out there that no one thought of it?
Now in the semi-finals of Fed Cup against the Russian powerhouse team, we cannot get our top 3 players to consider playing the event. My question:
If the players do not feel this event is important enough to attend for their nation, what chance do we think the future of Fed Cup has in bringing attention and credibility to itself? Proposal: When a player takes a wildcard from the USTA, attach an obligation to it that commits the player to represent their country in the future. Is this really something so far out there that no one thought of it?