By Tennis Now | @Tennis_Now | Monday, September 16, 2024
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty for ITF
Lleyton Hewitt treasures Davis Cup competition, but asserts the demanding Davis Cup scheduled can trash players' bodies.
Hall of Famer and Australian captain Hewitt praised his players for qualifying for the Davis Cup Final 8 then ripped the format which forced some players to fly immediately from New York where they'd played the US Open to Spain for the Davis Cup Group B competition in Valencia, Spain.
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The 2023 Davis Cup finalist Australia beat Czechia and France before bowing to Spain to secure its spot for the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, Spain, November 19-24th.
Hewitt said he's delighted by the dedication his players showed, but is annoyed by the Davis Cup calendar that required Max Purcell, who partnered Jordan Thompson to the US Open doubles championship on Saturday, September 7th, to play a Davis Cup doubles match on Tuesday in Valencia. Hewitt called the calendar "ridiculous."
"We came with one goal: to qualify for the Finals, and we have achieved it. I'm very proud of the guys and the effort they've put in," Hewitt said. "It is not easy this week in the calendar.
"Asking them to play two days after a Grand Slam ends is not easy. In the old format you also had to do it, but you didn't play until Friday. Playing on Tuesday is ridiculous. I can't be prouder of my guys and the effort they've made, the whole country is proud and we'll be ready for November."
The draw for the Davis Cup Final 8 will be conducted on Thursday, September 19th.
Australia will face either defending-champion Italy or the United States in its Davis Cup Finals tie.
Captain Hewitt, who favored the traditional home-and-away Davis Cup ties of the past, says he will continue to complain about the format while trying to help Australia reclaim the Davis Cup.
“That’s the stupid part of this format, isn’t it? You know, I can keep saying it,” Hewitt said. “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."