Stan Wawrinka fires brutal dig at Gerard Pique with Davis Cup swipe

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Stan Wawrinka has taken aim at Gerard Pique on social media ahead of Switzerland’s match against France in the Davis Cup. The ex-Barcelona footballer has come under fire after cutting shoer his partnership with the competition earlier this year, 20 years before the deal was set to expire.

It was announced in 2018 that Kosmos, founded by Pique, would partner with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for the next 25 years to run the Davis Cup. The Spaniard promised to fund the project and pump approximately $3 billion into the sport to allow for expansion.

However, earlier this year it was announced that the partnership had already concluded, with the ITF releasing a statement that outlined that they had previously negotiated a ‘strong deal’ and would continue to look to deliver another ‘spectacular’ Davis Cup.

The impact of Kosmos/Pique is still clear to see within the competition though, and Wawrinka has not shied away from addressing the issues created by the 36-year-old. One of the most significant changes made whilst the partnership with ITF was alive was moving away from ‘home and away’ ties, which played a central role in creating an atmosphere for matches and allowing the sport to grow.

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Instead, all matches are now played at the same venue and consequently, plenty of games struggle to capture the attention of local fans who do not have an attachment to the players featuring, especially during the early stages of the tournament when there is less significance. Wawrinka highlighted the issue ahead of Switzerland’s match against France on Tuesday afternoon when posting a video of the arena in Manchester, England, on X (Twitter).

Only a sprinkling of fans were sat in the stands, with rows upon rows of empty seats clear to see in the footage, further reiterating the point that the shift away from ‘home and away’ ties was a step backwards for the competition.

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Wawrinka captioned the post: “Thank you @3gerardpique @ITFTtennis! France vs Switzerland in Manchester lol,” accompanied with an angry face emoji and a facepalming person, with almost 12,000 users liking the post and the video racking up over two million views.

Wawrinka has made it no secret that he enjoys competing in the Davis Cup and he will be hopeful that the old format of the competition returns. He starred with Roger Federer in Switzerland’s only previous victory in the competition back in 2014, beating France in Lille – and Tuesday’s match is the first time that the two sides will clash since that game.

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