Andy Murray arrived in Madrid armed with a simple request for the new Davis Cup Finals format: give it a chance.

Murray, who led Great Britain to its first Davis Cup championship in 79 years with a 3-1 victory over host Belgium in the 2015 final in Ghent, says he's rooting for the new Davis Cup Finals format to succeed.

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The International Tennis Federation launched its new 18-team, World Cup-style Davis Cup Finals yesterday on hard court at Madrid's La Caja Magica, which hosts the Mutua Madrid Masters in May. The week-long event will climax with the final on Sunday.

“Tennis is not always the easiest to make changes in and this is a big change," Murray said. “I hope it goes really well because, if it does, that’s fantastic for tennis.

"I think there’s some people that seem to be hoping it doesn’t go well but I hope it goes really well and that it’s a big success."

ITF president David Haggerty says the new format offering a $20 million prize-money pool will elevate Davis Cup to the status of a fifth major.

However skeptics say the timing of the event, which begins the day after the ATP Finals ends at London's O2 Arena, as well as the format may well prove problematic for Davis Cup gaining traction among players.