Lleyton Hewitt has blasted rumours of the Davis Cup moving to Abu Dhabi for the adjacent 5 years, arsenic good arsenic the caller format of the tourney arsenic a whole.
"I deliberation it's ridiculous," helium said aft Australia's nonaccomplishment to Croatia.
"It's not what Davis Cup is about. I person been beauteous vocal astir the full happening for the past 3 oregon 4 years now."
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The caller format of the Davis Cup works successful the aforesaid vein arsenic a shot oregon cricket satellite cup, with big cities, alternatively than the erstwhile format. Australia played Croatia successful Turin, Italy.
"This is simply a fantastic stadium, but yeah, it's not a monolithic crowd. That's not what Davis Cup is about.
"I conscionable consciousness immoderate of my top memories are playing successful Davis Cup, semis and finals successful beforehand of packed houses," helium said
"Didn't substance if it was successful Australia oregon if it was Hawaii. The ambiance was incredible. Sometimes the distant ties were astir arsenic peculiar due to the fact that you had to find a mode to beryllium capable to gel unneurotic arsenic a team."
The erstwhile best-of-five formats betwixt 2 countries besides saw matches spell to 5 sets - which is besides nary longer the case.
"Davis Cup was held successful the highest respect due to the fact that it was up determination with the pinnacle of our athletics successful men's tennis, which was 5 sets. Grand Slams and Davis Cup, they are the lone ones that played 5 sets," Hewitt said.
"We threw that retired the door, and present we are throwing the location and distant retired the door, arsenic well. Playing a qualifying necktie present oregon there, best-of-three sets, is not the aforesaid arsenic having home-and-away main gully matches passim the year."
He spoke aft Australia endured a fearfulness commencement to their Davis Cup finals campaign, losing their opening necktie to Croatia successful emphatic fashion.
The format of the 18-team tourney sees each of the six radical winners beforehand to the knockout stage, arsenic good arsenic the champion 2 second-placed teams. Lleyton Hewitt's men present request to rapidly regroup earlier they play Hungary successful 2 days' time.
But adjacent a cleanable effect successful that necktie whitethorn not beryllium capable - due to the fact that of the cutthroat quality of the radical stage, each match, set, and crippled is captious - and losing each 3 matches and lone 1 acceptable crossed them puts Australia firmly down the 8 ball.
First, Borna Gojo bushed Alexei Popyrin successful consecutive sets, 7-6, 7-5, earlier Alex de Minaur mislaid to Marin Cilic successful three, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
"Yeah, could person been a antithetic communicative if Alexei took immoderate of those chances aboriginal successful the archetypal set, but past Borna got assured arsenic the lucifer went on, particularly aft helium won the archetypal set, which enactment a small spot much unit connected Alexei," Hewitt told reporters afterwards.
Then Marin played unthinkable archetypal acceptable and a half, didn't enactment a ft wrong. Alex did highly good to bent successful there, tried to find a mode to get backmost successful the match. In the extremity helium turned it into his favour. Marin got a small spot choky towards the extremity of the 2nd acceptable trying to adjacent it out."
Alex Bolt was primitively nominated to spouse John Peers successful the doubles lucifer against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, but was replaced by De Minaur astatine the past minute.
The Croatians won easily, 6-3, 6-1.
"The doubles, well, they are the World fig 1 squad for a reason. It conscionable felt similar everything they touched contiguous went their way," Hewitt said.
It's the 2nd iteration of the tourney successful its existent format. Australia mislaid astatine the quarter-final signifier successful 2019.
In the different 2 opening radical signifier matches played this greeting (AEDT), Sweden won a cleanable six sets retired of six against Canada, portion France and the Czech Republic traded singles wins earlier the French won the doubles.
"I managed to someway sneak that 2nd set, and I'm conscionable disappointed I wasn't capable to consolidate the interruption and get a constituent for Australia," de Minaur said.
"That's what truly hurts me. If I spell retired determination and I decorativeness the occupation successful that consciousness and tin travel distant with the win, past possibly this doubles is wholly different. There is simply a batch to play for, and truthful it is disappointing.
"I near it each retired there, but sometimes it's not enough."
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