The door is open for Australia to host one leg of the Davis Cup group phases in 2024 after Lleyton Hewitt stated he was “sick” of enjoying on the identical surfaces following back-to-back remaining defeats in Spain.
Hewitt’s workforce have misplaced to Canada and Italy in successive finals, persevering with a 20-year Davis Cup title drought, with their presence within the remaining impacting the capability for a conflict in Australia.
After a change in format in 2019, the one home-and-away parts of the Davis Cup now occurs in January within the qualifying spherical, and the 2 finalists from the earlier 12 months get a bye that takes them straight into the group phases.
Those phases have till now been held in European venues, with three already set in stone subsequent 12 months for Valencia in Spain, Bologna in Italy and Manchester in England.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and the ultimate will once more be held in Malaga, as they have been this 12 months, the place the Aussies have been wiped 2-0 within the showdown with the Italians.
In the wake of that loss, Hewitt, who received the Davis Cup as a participant in 2003 and skilled a number of enormous clashes on house soil, once more bemoaned the present format.
“Malaga has put on a great event, in terms of what they can do with the format that they’ve got – their hands are tied. There’s no home-and-away and there’s no (best of) five sets, so it’s not ideal,” he stated.
“We are playing on a surface that I’m really sick of playing on, to be honest. That’s not what Davis Cup is about – it’s playing on clay, grass, outdoor elements.
“It’s obviously pretty frustrating, I think, that we don’t get all the different surfaces and conditions throughout Davis Cup anymore and especially in the big matches as well.”
But because the draw was accomplished for 2024, Australian doubles legend Mark Woodforde, the chair of the International Tennis Federation’s Davis Cup committee, stated one venue for group clashed remained accessible and the choice was there for Tennis Australia to place in a bid.
“We understand there is a potential request to follow the process that is in place to put a bid in for the group stages, which has always been the case,” Woodforde stated.
“That possibility has been there, it just hasn’t been exercised by Tennis Australia. Losing the final shouldn’t deter the idea and, hopefully, Tennis Australia will continue with the process of hosting next year.
“The possibility is there, it’s really up to them, the ball’s literally in their court.”
Tennis Australia has been contacted for remark.
Australia will host to a Billie Jean King Cup tie for the primary time in additional than 4 years in April, 2024.
The Australian workforce is about to host Mexico in a qualifying tie, in a location nonetheless to be determined, needing to win to qualify for the 12-nation finals, which shall be performed in Spain in November 2024.
Source: www.news.com.au
