Hewitt 'really sick of' recurring Davis Cup issue

Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt has criticised the playing surface used for the Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain as he continued his tirade against the competition’s format.

Australia’s quest to end a two-decade drought at the iconic teams tournament was dashed on Monday morning after being downed by Italy in the final.

The Australians have now lost the past two Davis Cup finals, which were played on an indoor hard court in the Spanish City, with the International Tennis Federation to continue with the same event format next year.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reacts during the Davis Cup Final match against Italy at Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena on November 26, 2023 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for ITF)

A changeover in administration from the International Tennis Federation to ex-football star Gerard Pique’s investment group Kosmos in 2018 triggered several changes to the competition’s format.

Last week, Hewitt condemned the lingering setup from the since-collapsed Kosmos deal which has seen home-and-away ties replaced by week-long group stages and finals featuring multiple countries all played at the same neutral venue.

“It’s been a great week, in terms of our performance, and we gave ourselves an opportunity,” Hewitt said following the final.

“Malaga has put on a great event, in terms of what they can do with the format that they’ve got — their hands are tied. There’s no home-and-away and there’s no [best of] five sets, so it’s not ideal.

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“We are playing on a surface that I’m really sick of playing on, to be honest. That’s not what Davis Cup is about – it’s playing on clay, grass, outdoor elements.

“It’s obviously pretty frustrating, I think, that we don’t get all the different surfaces and conditions throughout Davis Cup anymore, and especially in the big matches, as well.”

Lleyton Hewitt speaks to Alex De Minaur during his Davis Cup final match against Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

Alex De Minaur was no match for Jannik Sinner, going down in straight sets, however Hewitt highlighted that the Malaga court and conditions favoured the Italian.

Australia’s most recent Davis Cup triumph in 2003 came on a makeshift grass court at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, against a team of Spanish claycourters.

Hewitt’s latest swipe at the tournament comes after the Australian team captain called out dwindling crowd numbers in September.