• Eighteen nations will now compete in week-long round robin • Group winners and two runners-up progress to quarter-finals

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A revamp of the Davis Cup format has been voted through at the International Tennis Federation’s AGM.

In November next year the competition will involve 18 nations competing in a week-long, round‑robin tournament. The overhaul of the 118‑year‑old competition was approved despite the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing body of British tennis, opposing the changes.

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“I am delighted that the nations have voted to secure the long-term status of Davis Cup,” the ITF president, David Haggerty, said. “Our mission is to ensure that this historic decision will benefit players for decades to come.”

The Davis Cup is played in February, April, September and November at home and away venues. But an increasing number of top players have opted not to play in recent years because of the hectic schedule.

From next year the 18 countries will be divided into six groups with each group fixture consisting of two singles and one doubles best-of-three-sets matches. The top teams from each group and the two highest-scoring runners-up will play the quarter-finals on the Friday, with the semi-finals on Saturday and the final held on Sunday.

In explaining its decision to vote against the changes, the LTA said in a statement: “Concerns remain that the proposed format and its impact on the tennis calendar, extending the season for players, risks player participation and therefore fan appeal.”

Great Britain, who won the Davis Cup in 2015, will face Uzbekistan in a World Group play-off in Glasgow next month.