LLOYD SLAMS JANNIK SINNER & EMMA RADUCANU: DAVIS CUP HAS BECOME 'A JOKE'
Former British No. 1 John Lloyd criticised Jannik Sinner and Emma Raducanu for skipping the Davis and BJK Cups, arguing their priorities diminish the team competitions.
John Lloyd, former British No. 1, can't believe stars like Jannik Sinner and Emma Raducanu skipped the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup this year.
Sinner, ranked No. 2 globally, caught flak for not playing in the 2025 Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, even though he helped Italy win in both 2023 and 2024.
Lorenzo Musetti, ranked eighth, also backed out of Italy’s team. Still, Italy snagged a third straight title, beating Spain in the final.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was supposed to lead Spain in the Davis Cup, but he had to withdraw due to an injury from the ATP Finals.
With these big names missing, Alexander Zverev, ranked third, was the only top 10 player at the Davis Cup Finals.
In the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in September, Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina, all top 10 players at the time, made appearances. Italy edged out the United States in the final.
Raducanu, the British No. 1, was questioned for not playing in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
On the Inside-In Tennis Podcast, Lloyd shared his disappointment about the Davis Cup’s decline, making it clear he wasn't happy about the absence of top players this year.
“Honestly, it makes me sad. Not just because Italy won, but because of what the Davis Cup is now. I’ve been saying for years that it’s become a bit of a joke,” Lloyd said.
“It gets by because when it’s played in another country, there are still people who come to watch, no matter what.
“But you can't call it the greatest team competition when only one top 10 player is participating. You can't fool people, except maybe in Italy, where they just want to see their country play, and they're lucky to have so many good players.
“But Musetti and Sinner didn't play due to physical reasons. They said they wanted to rest and get ready for next year. I can't believe it. That's what the Davis Cup has become. It never would have happened back when I played.”
Lloyd, who was an Australian Open runner-up in 1977, added that the same goes for the Billie Jean King Cup, and he criticised Raducanu’s choice.
“It’s not just the men; the women are doing it too. Look at the Billie Jean King Cup, which has also become a joke in its own way,” Lloyd continued.
“Emma Raducanu… Britain had a real chance to win it for once. She pulls out, saying she wants to spend time with her new coach and get ready for the next season or get ranking points. Are you kidding me?
“Isn't it always an honour to play for your country? What’s happened to the sport when players just say, ‘You know what, it’s the end of the season…'”
BREAKING: AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEEDING AT RISK! CHECK THE NEW 18-TOURNAMENT RANKING RULE NOW
The 2026 ATP season begins with a major rule change. Rankings now count only 18 tournaments, causing points to drop for the Top 10.
The 2026 ATP Tour season kicks off with the United Cup this Friday. Everyone's watching to see what happens in men's tennis this year.
There's a ranking rule change that started late in 2025 that everyone will be dealing with.
Here’s a breakdown of the change and who it's impacting:
What's the New Rule?
Before 2026, a player's ATP ranking could include points from 19 tournaments: the four Grand Slams, the eight mandatory Masters 1000 events, and their next seven best results.
These could be from the Monte Carlo Masters, ATP 500, ATP 250, or Challenger events. Qualifying for the ATP Finals was a bonus.
Now, only 18 events count. Rankings will only include the four Grand Slams, eight mandatory Masters events, and a player's six best results, plus the ATP Finals if they qualify.
Also, the top 30 players only need to play four ATP 500 events, instead of five.
Who's Affected in the Top 10?
This change took place recently, and seven players in the top 10 lost points. Their positions stayed the same this time, except for the players who are stated.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Jack Draper were not affected.
Alexander Zverev lost 50 points, Novak Djokovic dropped 10, Felix Auger-Aliassime lost 55, Taylor Fritz dropped 50, Alex de Minaur lost 55, Lorenzo Musetti dropped 50, and Ben Shelton lost 10 points.
What About the Rest of the Rankings?
The top players are mostly okay, but the further down the rankings you go, the more change you'll see.
In the top 20, Jiri Lehecka is the only one impacted. He lost 10 points and fell to No. 18. Karen Khachanov moved up to 17th.
Luciano Darderi and Tallon Griekspoor switched places and are now ranked 25th and 26th. These were the only changes in the top 30.
Outside the top 30, there were bigger moves.
Jaume Munar jumped three spots to No. 33, and Corentin Moutet moved up to 34th. Brandon Nakashima and Stefanos Tsitsipas each fell two spots.
Now ranked 35th and 36th, Nakashima and Tsitsipas might have a harder time getting seeded for the Australian Open.
Pablo Carreno Busta dropped the most, falling from 89th to 93rd.
IMMEDIATE: SHOCKING DETAILS BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ-FERRERO SPLIT; WILL HE JOIN RIVAL JANNIK SINNER
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has shocked tennis by splitting with Juan Carlos Ferrero. Learn the real reason behind the breakup.
Tennis fans were shocked when Carlos Alcaraz and his long-time coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, split. Ferrero has now said whether they've talked since.
Even though Alcaraz is only 22, his time with Ferrero is one of tennis' best. The 2003 French Open champ started coaching Alcaraz, who was a young, promising player in 2019.
With Ferrero's help, Alcaraz became a superstar and one of the most exciting players to watch. He's won six Grand Slams and finished 2025 as the world's top player, ahead of Jannik Sinner.
The only major title they didn't win together was the Australian Open. Even though it's still a few weeks away, people recently saw Alcaraz's outfit for the 2026 tournament in Melbourne. It's bright and colourful.
Alcaraz had a great 2025, winning two more Grand Slams, so the split was even more surprising. It sounds like disagreements between Ferrero and others close to Alcaraz caused the change.
In an interview, Ferrero answered a question everyone's been asking: Have he and Alcaraz been in touch since they stopped working together?
We haven't talked yet because he needs to relax so he can train. Once things calm down, we'll talk, and everything will be fine.
Ferrero's nice words about Alcaraz suggest they'll talk again. He thinks they can still be friends after all they've achieved.
I've learned a lot from Carlos. He's a kid with amazing charisma. He's always loyal and honest, tells the truth, and works really hard. I'm happy because once things settle, I'm sure we'll keep talking, remembering all the things we did together, and stay friends.
It must be tough for Ferrero not to be coaching Alcaraz after working so hard to make him one of the best. Taking some time before talking to the 22-year-old might also be good for him.
Juan Carlos Ferrero was also asked about coaching Jannik Sinner after splitting from Carlos Alcaraz.
Since 2024, one of Ferrero's main jobs has been helping Alcaraz figure out how to beat Jannik Sinner. Together, they've won every men's singles Grand Slam in the last two seasons.
Now that Ferrero isn't Alcaraz's coach, he was asked if he'd consider joining Sinner's team, which would be a huge change in tennis.
Ferrero didn't say no. Instead, he said he needed time to get used to not coaching Alcaraz. Sinner is still coached by Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, after Cahill changed his mind about retiring at the end of 2025.