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Hewitt slams Davis Cup changes

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29th January, 2019
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Australia’s captain Lleyton Hewitt says the Davis Cup has been hurt by changes to the annual event and labelled the finals format as “ridiculous”.

Lleyton Hewitt has savaged Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique, the man behind Davis Cup format changes, as knowing nothing about tennis.

Hewitt says Pique’s investment group Kosmos has effectively bought control of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) with a $3 billion deal.

Pique, the founder and president of Kosmos, is behind changes to the Davis Cup format which Hewitt says risk the future of the 119-year-old event.

And the Australian says Pique’s vision of turning the Davis Cup finals into an event akin to soccer’s World Cup is “ridiculous”.

“Now we’re getting run by a Spanish football player, which is like me coming out and asking to change things for the (soccer) Champions League; it’s ridiculous,” Hewitt told reporters on Tuesday in Adelaide.

“He knows nothing about tennis.”

Under’s Pique’s plan, Davis Cup finals will be rebadged as a World Cup of Tennis and be played by 18 nations in one week in Madrid this November.

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“Totally different sport. And it’s not going to work in tennis,” Hewitt said.

“And it pretty much sums up right now with his group that has bought into the ITF, now they’re basically running the ITF.

“And that is why we see all the Spanish sponsors.

“And a soccer league is the main sponsor of the Davis Cup which is mind boggling.”

Hewitt will captain Australia against Bosnia and Herzegovina from Friday in Adelaide under a fresh Davis Cup format of three-set matches over two days, without home-and-away ties.

Australia is among the nations vying for 12 remaining spots in the 18-team final in Madrid.

Hewitt said the format changes “really hurt” the Davis Cup by taking away its points of difference: home-and-away ties; and matches decided by best-of-five sets.

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“I don’t agree at all with it,” he said.

“I think having the finals in one place is ridiculous. I personally don’t think all the top players will play, we will wait and see.

“I have played in massive ties home and away and the ties away are tough.

“But for me the most disappointing thing is that guys like Alex (de Minaur) and Alexei (Popyrin) and these kids will never get an opportunity to play a Davis Cup final in Australia – that’s probably one of the biggest joys that I got out of my career.”

Hewitt had impressed upon his team this week – de Minaur, Popyrin, John Millman, Jordan Thompson and John Peers – not to dwell on the format change.

“These guys get the chance to represent their country and wear the green and gold and that is something these boys are really proud of,” he said.

“So we will go out there and do what we can but whether the structure and the format hold up, I have got no idea.”

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