Lleyton Hewitt’s pleasure in his Australian staff’s achievement in reaching the Davis Cup finals has been accompanied by one other withering tirade towards organisers he believes have “really screwed up” the once-revered staff competitors.
At the tip of one other week when the ‘males’s tennis World Cup’ format was bitterly criticised for small crowds attending ties at impartial venues round Europe, Aussie captain Hewitt sighed that the occasion had became a “disaster”.
His staff are among the many eight who’ve certified for the knock-out finals in Malaga in November – however Hewitt, a vehement critic of the modifications to the venerable occasion’s format, is way from alone in despairing on the truth hosts Spain will not be there.
So an occasion as soon as famed for its home-and-away finals performed in entrance of partisan crowds will characteristic every week of motion in November with out the excitement of a Carlos Alcaraz-fuelled dwelling staff and and solely eight impartial groups.
Asked in Manchester if he felt it will make for a difficult scenario, Hewitt agreed and stated it was time to do away with these organisers he believes have ruined the occasion.
“Absolutely (the finals will be challenging). I’ve said for years the two greatest things that Davis Cup had was the best-of-five sets, because it was the pinnacle of our sport, and the home and away format,” .
“Playing in front of 500 or 1000 people, it’s not the same. But as I’ve told my team all the time, the pride comes in wearing the green and gold, so for us no matter what the format is, we’re still gonna go out there and leave it all on the line.
“But do I agree this format is nice? No, not for a minute.
“We’ve gotta get rid of people at the top … we’ve seen what’s happened, it was meant to be a 25-year thing and it’s turned into a four-year disaster.
“So till modifications are made, we’re gonna sit again and undergo precisely the identical stuff yearly.
“I can say until the cows come home, but they’ve really screwed it up.”
Hewitt’s outburst got here amid extra disenchantment a couple of unusual week of group qualification motion in Manchester, the place the ties that includes dwelling staff Britain featured massive crowds and a fantastic ambiance however these that includes impartial sides attracted solely paltry numbers.
British nice Andy Murray famous: “It is a shame when France and Australia, two of the biggest tennis nations who love their Davis Cup, and they’re playing in front of what feels like an empty stadium.”
Three-time grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka was left so disgusted on the turnout for his Swiss facet’s tie with France, he posted a video of the empty stands whereas sarcastically “thanking” former footballer Gerard Pique and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) organisers.
Pique and his firm Kosmos had been instrumental within the competitors’s restructure during the last 4 years, with home-and-away ties changed by week-long group phases and finals that includes a number of international locations all on the identical venue.
“It’s been quite a clear disaster,” stated Wawrinka, deeply vital of Kosmos, who had promised to speculate $US3 billion ($A4.7 billion) into tennis over 25 years however whose deal collapsed this 12 months after lower than 5 years with a courtroom case now looming.
But Australian former doubles nice Mark Woodforde, chair of the Davis Cup committee, has warned towards reverting again to “the old format (that) was killing Davis Cup”.
He says the competitors will stay as is subsequent 12 months, including “We feel this is the format where we can see mileage with it.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
