Canada's Davis Cup win re-opens debate about 'utter disgrace' wildcard decision
Canada's drought-breaking Davis Cup win over Australia has re-opened debate over a controversial decision by the International Tennis Federation back in March.
The ITF handed Canada a wildcard into the finals despite the fact they were thrashed 4-0 by the Netherlands in the qualifying round.
But a spot in the finals needed to be filled when Russia was booted out for invading Ukraine.
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Instead of giving the spot to a winner from the second-tier World Group I, Canada was given a reprieve as the highest ranked losing nation.
Canada claimed its first Davis Cup with victory over Australia in the final. Fran Santiago/Getty Images
"What an utter disgrace," Australian legend Todd Woodbridge tweeted when the decision was announced in March.
"Canada has lost this year, but given a second chance wildcard.
"This is a new low for our sport.
"Just can't fathom how far this great competition has sunk."
In a column for Wide World of Sports days after the decision was made, Woodbridge said the decision to award the wildcard to Canada "is just the latest in a string of disgraceful decisions that have done nothing but harm a once-great tournament."
"For reasons that could best be described as unfathomable, the organisers decided to give Canada a wildcard into the finals," he wrote.
"Instead of rewarding a country that actually had a win in their opening tie from World Group I, Canada are given a free ride into the finals.
Australia finished runner-up to Canada at the Davis Cup. AP Photo/Joan Monfort
"It's simply wrong and unfair.
"Where's the legitimacy of having a country that has already lost going through to the finals, ahead of Chile, who were the top-ranked winners in World Group I?"
Woodbridge's stance was echoed by United States Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish, who noted in September that the tournament "isn't an exhibition event where we make up rules as we go. Davis Cup has been around over 100 years."
The 2003 US Open champion, Andy Roddick, said at the time that it would be "tough to consider them (Canada) legitimate" if they went on to win.
Woodbridge, who represented Australia in 32 Davis Cup ties, also took aim at the overhaul of the tournament that took place in 2019, changing the historic event from a series of home-and-away ties to a round-robin format amongst the finalists.
"The leadership of the Davis Cup committee needs a serious overhaul. It needs people who the players respect and relate to, and people who put the good of the competition ahead of all else," he wrote.
"I can only hope that that overhaul can be done before it's too late."
Canada's 2-0 win over Australia in Spain gave that nation its first Davis Cup title since the tournament began in 1900.
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