New LTA chief executive Mike Downey believes Great Britain’s Davis Cup World Group win over the United States will boost player participation at the grassroots level.
Downey recently came to the organization from Tennis Canada, where he oversaw unprecedented growth. Britain will travel to Italy in April for the Davis Cup quarterfinals. The British Fed Cup team is currently playing zonal ties in Hungary.
"From my experience in Canada I think success at Davis Cup and Fed Cup is very important to the health of the sport in the country,” Downey told the British media. “It's about motivation, pride and the country doing well, and tennis is getting far more coverage today than it normally would and it will again when we play Italy. It is also really very special in that this is a team event, and you are representing your country, and it makes it even more special to beat the Americans to advance to the first quarterfinal for more than 25 years away, and dealing with a pretty unruly crowd.
"The emotive nature of the Davis Cup indirectly helps things like participation, and I think that was one of the things we maybe didn't have enough focus on."