'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAx+aN/wD/xAAgEAACAQMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEERIABQYhMkHS/9oACAEBAAE/AFmqOVynaaiVY4wy1OTIHsRkLIOsF78VsNHiU46G7SAD0Iz9a//EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAv/aAAgBAgEBPwBSf//EABcRAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAhH/2gAIAQMBAT8As6z/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tennis fans recently expressed their unequivocal disappointment at David Haggerty being re-elected as the ITF President for 2023–27.
It was Haggerty under whom the global organization had partnered with Gerard Pique's Kosmos Group to overhaul the old best-of-five format at the Davis Cup in 2018.
The ITF recently held their annual general meeting in Cancun, Mexico, on September 24, where they were voting for new leadership. The results, however, were largely undesirable for the tennis community, as Haggerty won by a landslide.
The tennis fans on social media subsequently denounced the ITF for not doing away with the American administrator. One fan alluded to how the governing body re-appointed Hagger as president despite poor Davis Cup viewership over the last few years.
"After the Davis Cup disaster? You’ve got to be kidding. It’s like there is zero consequences for executives who are terrible at their jobs," they wrote, followed by an eye-roll emoji.
Tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol, meanwhile, summarized the ITF President's failings in a single post.
He detailed how the organization had first signed a 25-year partnership with Kosmos in a bid to make the Davis Cup more popular before prematurely ending their partnership earlier this year.
"During the past four years, the ITF transformed the Davis Cup with Kosmos, ploughed on with Kosmos even as people wondered whether the £ added up, ended its $3b partnership with Kosmos 21 years early and ended up in court with Kosmos. And yet," Carayol wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from social media:
Stan Wawrinka is just as discontent as tennis fans with the ITF's business operations going by his reaction to the news
3-time Major winner Stan Wawrinka was also not happy with the ITF's presidential election, and he let everyone know how he was feeling with two face-palm emojis.
"[Facepalm emoji], [Facepalm emoji]," the Swiss wrote.
Coincidentally, it was Wawrinka who had first started the discourse concerning the decline in popularity of the 123-year-old event.
The Swiss had complained about the lack of crowds during the 2023 Davis Cup Finals group stage match between his home country and France on his X (Twitter) handle. He also posted a short video of the empty seats in Manchester, Great Britain.
He later accused the ITF of paying people to attend matches and support various nations, adding more fuel to the fire.
While several tennis figures like Brad Gilbert, John Millman, and Julien Benneteau echoed his sentiments, Madrid Open organizer Feliciano Lopez didn't give much stock to his claims.
