Proposals to revamp the Davis Cup into a season-ending 18-team event were backed by national federations at the International Tennis Federation annual general meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.
France, who were 2-0 up courtesy of Arthur Rinderknech and Adrian Mannarino, faced little resistance from Ecuador as wins for Benjamin Bonzi and the doubles pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicholas Mahut secured victory for the 10-times champions.
The sorry state of American men's tennis will continue for some time with no real talent on the horizon, said Pete Sampras who dominated the game in the 1990s with fellow American Andre Agassi.
Maria Sharapova has been suspended as a goodwill ambassador by the United Nations after the former world number one admitted she had tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at this year's Australian Open.
With fire in their bellies, former Grand Slam champs Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are targetting a fresh return to the tennis courts in 2017.
Captain Virat Kohli enjoyed his time off by catching the action at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Saturday along with wife Anushka.
While some say the five-times Grand Slam champion, initially banned for two years after testing positive for Meldonium, has done her time some fellow players are angry the red carpet is being rolled out.
'I find, in all this matter, a very unfair treatment... I don't know if I will be able to find the strength and the desire to play tennis again, after all this'
"The recent developments have resulted in an atmosphere which is not conducive for a happy friendly tie between the two teams which have immense respect for each other," AITA General Secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee wrote to the ITF in an email seen by Reuters.
Thursday's match was just Venus Williams's seventh of the year and first since January's Australian Open, where she fell to Simona Halep in the round of 32.
Serbia's former World No 12 Viktor Troicki has been handed an 18-month suspension by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after violating doping regulations.
AITA said last week they had written to International Tennis Federation (ITF) asking them to shift the tie to a neutral venue
No question of going back on IOA CEO's appointment, says PT Usha
Karolina Pliskova lost her cool over a line call and bashed a hole into the umpire's chair with her racket after suffering a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat by Maria Sakkari in the Italian Open second round on Wednesday.
World number two Andy Murray is planning to participate in the forthcoming Rio Olympics in order to defend his Olympic gold medal despite growing concerns over the rapid spread of Zika virus in Brazil. Earlier, in an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 150 health experts had said that the current plans for the prestigious event need to be revised while citing several scientific studies that revealed the adverse effects of the virus. The WHO, however, turned down calls to move the Olympics venue, saying that moving the games would "not significantly alter" the spread of the virus. Murray, however, would head into the tournament after taking appropriate guidance from the Foreign Office and the British Olympic Association about the danger that the virus poses, the Guardian reported.
Maria Sharapova will attend an International Tennis Federation anti-doping hearing in London on Wednesday, British media reported, with the Russian facing a possible ban of up to four years for failing a drugs test at the Australian Open.
Mahesh Bhupathi may not be considered again for the job as India's non-playing captain after he refused to be part of the Davis Cup tie against Pakistan.
The centre-back was at the Madrid Open earlier this week, reportedly to discuss a 16-team knockout tournament with ATP Tour chief Chris Kermode. It would potentially replace the former World Team Cup event on the ATP calendar that was played from 1975 to 2012 ahead of Roland Garros.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that the government will keep in close touch with all relevant groups to ensure a virus outbreak does not have affect the Summer Olympics. Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said organisers are not considering cancelling the Olympics, which start on July 24.
United States Grand Slam doubles record holders Bob and Mike Bryan have retired from the Davis Cup after playing in the competition for almost 14 years.
Accordingly, it has issued notices to the secretary, department of sports in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; the SAI, the BCCI, the WFI, and 15 other national sports federations.
'The quality of tennis is better playing indoors because factors like sun and wind do not affect the matches.'
The marquee clash between a vintage Roger Federer and classy Rafael Nadal, the legends of the game will be awaited keenly by the fans as the third leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) begins in New Delhi on Thursday.
Roger Federer has rejigged his coaching team for next year by parting company with Stefan Edberg and bringing Ivan Ljubicic on board, the 17-time Grand Slam champion said on Wednesday.
Bhambri, ranked 200th, recovered from a set down and registered what turned to be an emphatic 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 win over Pella in a match that lasted for two hours and 10 minutes.
After four months away from the courts following a doping ban, Marin Cilic felt like a kid playing for the first time at the Paris Masters on Monday.
New world number one Ashleigh Barty has suffered a pre-Wimbledon injury scare, withdrawn from this week's Eastbourne grasscourt tournament with a recurrence of a right arm injury.
List of international sports events affected by the coronavirus that has killed over 900 people and infected more than 40,000 in China
As many as 72 players have been confined to their hotel rooms for two weeks upon arrival and unable to train for the Feb. 8-21 event after passengers on three charter flights tested positive.
Former World No 1 Roger Federer has made his "childhood hero" Stefan Edberg part of his coaching team and will use him on an occasional basis next year, the Swiss said on Friday.
Former world number one Andy Murray withdrew from the Brisbane International with a hip problem on Tuesday, further putting in doubt the Briton's prospects of being fit in time for the Australian Open later this month.
She should win her place thanks to good results, says Radwanska
The administrator of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme denied it had sought a four-year ban for the former world number one and, in a statement, rejected suggestions by the Russian that its independent tribunal was "not neutral"
India, with players of the caliber of Sumit Nagal, Ramkumar Ramanathan and veteran Leander Paes, were already expected to win easy but pulling out of Pakistan top players Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan has made it a no-contest.
Roger Federer breaks new ground by competing in India in the exhibition International Premier Tennis League, and his fans in the world's second most populated country can hardly wait.
"I don't feel like it is the beginning of a new season. There is hardly any break between seasons," Federer told reporters.
US WNBA All-Star Griner's detention in Russia extended
After a brief interruption when the players were locked at 5-5 in the opening set, Federer saved two set points in the tiebreak and held firm to gain the upper hand in the contest.
AITA won't force any player to travel to Pakistan and is willing to send even a second-string team to avoid suspension
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