Julien Benneteau Blasts Roger Federer for Playing Exhibition Matches During Davis Cup 2019

France Davis Cup captain Julien Benneteau takes a dig at World No.3 Roger Federer over scheduling exhibition matches during the Davis Cup 2019 Finals in Madrid.

Julien Benneteau, who has been a strong critic of Federer, is of the opinion that the 20-time grand slam champion should not play any exhibition matches while the Davis Cup 2019 Finals is going on in Madrid as he says, “It bothers me that it happens during the Davis Cup, that’s it.”

“He is the greatest player of all time and it is normal that he is acclaimed this way,” Benneteau said in an interview with beIN Sports.

“It’s fantastic and this atmosphere as Lionel Roux knows, the Argentineans are able to put an incredible atmosphere and it is completely deserved. But it bothers me that it happens during the Davis Cup, that’s all,” Benneteau concluded.

Roger Federer is currently touring the Americas, where he is playing a series of exhibitions with Alexander Zverev in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador.

Roger Federer has not come out with his full support for the revamped Davis Cup 2019 Finals and does not care much about the 18-nation event, even for understandable reasons as Switzerland failed to qualify. Furthermore, the Swiss maestro has already won it and at the age of 38, Federer cannot afford too thick schedules after a long ATP season. 

Federer also did not like the revamping of the 119 years old prestigious tournament. “The ITF has historically never involved the players,” Roger Federer reacted after the ITF approved the rebuilding of Davis. “I’m still a bit surprised. I didn’t get involved because I didn’t know the solution. It was definitely flawed in some ways, you know, the Davis Cup.”

“So for me, I don’t know, I feel sad about it, you know, not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. It will never be the same,” he concluded.