Lleyton Hewitt slams new Davis Cup changes
Lleyton Hewitt spoke ahead of Australia’s Davis Cup Tie against Bosnia & Herzegovina, applauding the players’ dedication towards the country.
The team, featuring Alex De Minaur, John Millman, Jordan Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and John Peers, all had a fantastic Australian summer.
“Our boys, I couldn’t be happier with the guys who we’ve got here and the preparation and dedication and everything,” he said. “It’s been a long summer for these guys. But after the Aussie Open was done, the first thing they said was ‘our summer’s not finished yet’. This is a massive priority for them, and I’m fortunate that they have that attitude.”
Hewitt further added that he is not underestimating the visitor’s star player - Damir Dzumhur. “Damir is a quality player, has very good wins, he’s been just outside 30 in the world for a while now,” Hewitt observed.
“Good all court player – looks to get forward, uses his slice backhand, drop shots, very quick across the baseline. We’re not taking anything for granted. And then (Mirza) Basic, their No.2 singles player, won a title last year as well. They’re two totally different players in game styles but we know it’s gonna be a tough match.”
He then spoke about the changes in the Davis Cup. “It’s ridiculous,” Hewitt said. “He knows nothing about tennis. It’d be like me asking to change things for the Champions League.”
“The two biggest points of difference were, one, the home and away aspect of it, and secondly was the best of five sets. If you look at the pinnacle of our sport, which are the four majors, they’re best of five sets. By us going back really hurts this event and how important it was.”
“In terms of structure and format of the finals, I don’t agree. Having it at one place I think is ridiculous – I don’t think many of the top players will play. It’s not going to work in tennis. They’re basically running the ITF and a soccer league is the main sponsor of the Davis Cup.”
“It’s mind-boggling.”
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2CXwEfh
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