Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan and Anand Amritraj — names that are considered legendary in the Indian Davis Cup scenario — are all of the view that the new format of the tournament is not really a good idea.

Davis Cup is something close to his heart, and Ramanathan was not happy with the recent changes that the century-old tournament has undergone. “The old format I feel was better. There was respect for the Davis Cup. But now maybe top players don’t want to give so much time, so the one-venue World Cup type format has come up. However, I feel it is losing its appeal,” he said, here on Saturday.

He was also not too enthusiastic about the newly-launched ATP Cup. “The two tournaments are almost similar. I don’t see how it is helping tennis,” he told The Telegraph.

The legends are in the city to attend the celebrations of the centenary of the Calcutta South Club.

About the present Davis Cup team, Ramesh opined that someone like Leander Paes should be more involved with the team, not only as a player but even as an administrator. Asked why he did not consider himself for a similar role, Ramesh said: “I am not that connected to the current scenario.”

A Davis Cup captain till a few years back, Anand, looking as dapper as usual, said: “We need at least one top-50 and one top-100 players in singles to make a difference. Players like Sumit Nagal, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan are unable to really break through. Once you are in the top 50, you automatically play better players on the Tour. That helps to develop your game.”

He also felt that Indian players were taking the easy way out by concentrating on doubles. “To play singles at the top level you need incredible fitness, unbelievable legs... but in doubles the load is shared. I feel one must play singles till the age of 30 and then concentrate on doubles.”

Asked what he felt about the changed Davis Cup format, Anand said: “It’s a horrible idea. I did fight against it. Most old timers did. It takes away the charm of home and away ties which allows countries like India to host top players such as Rafael Nadal.”

Asked why Indian players were finding it tough to make it big internationally, Ramesh said: “The focus of tennis has shifted to Europe. Earlier, we had a number of tournaments (Challengers, Futures) in India which helped players to pick up points and compete with strong opposition without having to travel out of the country.

“Now, it has become more expensive since very few tournaments are played in India. That has been a setback… The world has changed from the time we were playing. But the Indian tennis needs to adapt. We are not getting good competition here.”