The International Tennis Federation is confident it has enough support to push through controversial Davis Cup reform plans.

National federations will gather in Orlando, Florida next week for the ITF AGM, with all the focus on Thursday’s vote, where proposals to transform the Davis Cup into a World Cup-style event will be put to the test.

The radical plans have been the talk of tennis since they were announced by ITF president David Haggerty in February and have generated strong opposition.

But, with little over a week to go until the vote, Haggerty believes he is winning the argument.

The American told Press Association Sport: “We think the nations see this as a good opportunity. Not all will agree. We need a two-thirds majority and we’re feeling confident about that. Davis Cup is such a great competition and I think the reforms we’re talking about will really elevate it to a new level.”

If the plans are approved, from 2019 the Davis Cup will begin with one traditional home-and-away round in February before an 18-team event staged over one week at the end of November decides the winners of the competition.

Hefty financial backing comes from the Kosmos investment group founded by Barcelona and Spain footballer Gerard Pique, which has pledged to plough three billion US dollars (approximately £2.3billion) into tennis over 25 years.

After a series of blows, a significant boost arrived on Monday with the backing – verbal and financial – of billionaire Larry Ellison, who owns the hugely popular and successful Indian Wells tournament.

Should the proposals be approved, the ITF is committed to a European venue for the first two years following on from the ATP Finals in London, but Indian Wells could be a future venue.

Three of the four grand slams – the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon – have also given public backing to the plans, although the Lawn Tennis Association, which votes on behalf of Britain, has not yet declared its intentions.

The most consistent and vocal opposition has come from Australia, one of the powerhouses of Davis Cup. Significantly, Tennis Australia has partnered with the ATP for a new World Team Cup competition, which will begin in January 2020 and is seen as a direct rival to the Davis Cup.

Tennis fan Gerard Pique is working with the ITF on Davis Cup reform plans
Tennis fan Gerard Pique is working with the ITF on Davis Cup reform plans (Adam Davy/PA)

Having said the prospect of two global team competitions within six weeks of each other would be “insane” and held discussions with ITF, ATP executive chairman and president Chris Kermode announced in July his organisation was pressing ahead anyway.

Should the two competitions go head to head, it is hard to see the leading players favouring Davis Cup over their own organisation’s event, but the ITF believes its trump cards are the global investment into the game only it can offer and the weight of more than a century of history.

Haggerty said: “I’m feeling confident that many of the nations understand the benefit for the greater good.

ITF president David Haggerty is confident of securing enough votes for his Davis Cup reform plans
ITF president David Haggerty is confident of securing enough votes for his Davis Cup reform plans (Andrew Milligan/PA)

“The decision for the World Team Cup from a player perspective was something they felt they could own. We have had conversations with players, we continue to have conversations with players, and we know, with many of the players, Davis Cup strikes a special chord.

“It’s not all about money. The format that we’ve arrived at is something the player council recommended to me in September 2016, so we feel where we’re going is something that has appeal to them.

“Davis Cup has a 118-year tradition and we think that’s a strong starting point. We think by marrying the history and heritage together with innovation, it is the team event that the players like to participate in.”