Taking a lead from Roger Federer, Spain’s Carlos Moya says he will also skip the Davis Cup competition in 2005 to concentrate on improving his results at the grand slams.
The announcement is surprising considering Spain’s commitment to and domination of the Davis Cup over the last few years. Moya led Spain to the 2004 title with a win over the Andy Roddick-led U.S. in the final.
"At age 29 I still have high hopes in my professional career, and this season I need to center those goals on specific dates and tournaments," Moya said in the statement.
Federer, who finished 2004 with a large lead at No. 1 in the rankings, said skipping the Davis Cup competition for Switzerland would aid him in keeping the top ranking in 2005.
The announcement is worrisome for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) which runs the Davis Cup competition. The ITF has already seen participation dry up on the women’s side for the international Fed Cup competition.
