Lleyton Hewitt is not a fan of the current Davis Cup format, having come out against it several times in the past, and he's done it once more, despite Australia securing their spot in the Final 8.
One of the most treasured tennis memories Hewitt has from his playing days was playing back home in Australia in front of thousands of fans and representing his country in the Davis Cup.
His heart breaks for the current generation of Australian players who don't get to experience that amazing atmosphere. Having the Rod Laver Arena packed with thousands of yellow shirts, screaming and yelling while supporting their players in an effort to win the Davis Cup, was special.
This new format, which has seen Australia play the competition away from their soil for years now, is soulless according to Hewitt, who is not a fan of it. He's blasted the format several times in the past, and he will keep doing it because he did it again after this year's group stage part of the Davis Cup Finals, in which Australia secured second place behind Spain in Group B, which played their matches in Valencia.
Speaking after the final tie between Spain and Australia, Hewitt once again slammed the format, calling it ridiculous.
"We have had a few guys this week pretty banged up. It would have been very easy for a few of my boys to not turn up this week, but they have come and put on the green and gold and have done absolutely everything I have asked of them, so I am super proud."
"To try and ask players to play the second day after a grand slam finishes ... it’s not easy. In the old (weekend) 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."
Hewitt is right in the sense that the format now extends for too long and is too close to the US Open, as each nation needs to play a couple of ties. It's rushed and doesn't resemble what most tennis fans associate with the Davis Cup.
It doesn't resemble what they grew up watching, and that's a shame for many older fans. Plenty of players have also come out against the format, and Hewitt has been quite open about it.
He had to laugh while talking about it again, but he admitted that he could keep saying it because the format remained the same, even though nobody really liked it. That's the reality.
"That’s the stupid part of this format, isn’t it? You know, I can keep saying it. But the format is what it is, and we’ll do what we need to do to get through and give ourselves a chance of hopefully holding up the trophy."
As Hewitt said, there is not much he can do about it. He has to accept it, and so do fans, and try to make the most of it, and Hewitt will try to lead his players to Davis Cup glory.