Tennis Australia will continue to fight for the future of the Davis Cup despite striking a deal with the ATP to host a $20 million World Team Cup from 2020.
In a radical overhaul of the Australian summer calender, the 24-team showpiece is likely to spell the death knell for the Sydney and Brisbane International men's events.
While full details have yet to be revealed, preliminary rounds of the World Team Cup could be played in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth before a week-long finals series in Sydney ahead of the Australian Open.
Offering $20 million in prize money plus rankings points, Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley hailed it as "an exciting new era in men's tennis".
"Upon finalising the agreement with the ATP, we look forward to unveiling a stunning new global event in Australia to launch the season," Tiley said.
"The world's top players will continue to start their year in Australia in a format that we believe will deeply engage the fans across Australia and throughout the world.
"It will be a great result to be able to stage the ATP World Team Cup within the current calendar while significantly improving player prize money."
But the establishment of the World Team Cup casts further doubt about the future of the century-old Davis Cup.
All 210 national federations, including Australia, will vote next month on the International Tennis Federation's proposal to drastically transform the Davis Cup from 2019 into an end-of-season World Cup-style extravaganza in November.
ATP boss Chris Kermode said in March it would be "insane" for two big team events to be staged six weeks apart.
Tiley, though, insists Australia remains committed to retaining the Davis Cup despite throwing its support behind the World Team Cup.
"Australia has an incredibly proud history in Davis Cup and Tennis Australia is committed to growing the Davis Cup, not diminishing it," he said in an email to AAP.
"In our view and in the view of the majority of our current and former players the current ITF proposal diminishes the competition.
"Abolishing so much of what makes the event special, such as the unique home and away component, is not the way to take the event forward.
"We don't believe the ATP World Team Cup in January has any bearing on the success or otherwise of the Davis Cup."
Effectively beaten to the punch by Tennis Australia and the ATP, the ITF expressed disappointment after learning of the new World Team Cup and said it planned to press ahead with its attempted revamp of Davis Cup.
"We do feel that this was an opportunity missed by the ATP to work together with the ITF in a beneficial and positive way for the whole of tennis," the ITF said in a statement.
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