Lleyton Hewitt, the captain of the Australian Davis Cup team and a former world No. 1, has called the event’s format and scheduling dumb and absurd.
Since it was first implemented in 2019, the format has undergone changes that have generated controversy. Instead of having home and away matches throughout the season, there is now a final stage that is held in Spain and qualifiers that take place in September.
Just two days after the US Open concluded, on Tuesday of last week, the Davis Cup Finals qualification process began, with Australia being one of the participating countries.
Men’s doubles champion Max Purcell played in Valencia just three days after winning the title at Flushing Meadows, while top-10 player Alex de Minaur did not play after making it to the final eight in New York.
Hewitt, who was a member of the 2003 Australian Open winning squad, criticized the format and the event’s close proximity to the season’s last major in a statement following their qualification.
He talked about it recently and said: “We’ve had a few guys this week pretty banged up—and it’s only really our locker room that knows that. It would have been very easy for a few of my boys to not turn up this week, but they’ve come and they put on the green and gold and done absolutely everything I’ve asked of them. I’m super proud.”
He added: “To try and ask players to play the second day after a grand slam finishes, it’s not easy. In the old format, I used to have to do it, but you’d at least have until Friday before you had to play. Now to play on Tuesday, it’s ridiculous.”