Lleyton Hewitt criticizes new Davis Cup format: "I can talk till I'm blue in the face, but nothing's changing right now"

Two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt shared his displeasure over the current format of the Davis Cup.

The former World No. 1, who led Australia to the finals of the tournament this year, made his feelings clear and heavily criticized the new format. The traditional Davis Cup format, which had five-set battles and home-and-away ties, has made way for 'neutral' finals venues.

Canada's victory in both singles matches helped them beat Australia to the 2022 Davis Cup title in Malaga. In his post-match press conference, Hewitt questioned the new format and claimed that it does a disservice to the doubles.

"Everyone knows my feelings. I don't think now is the time to talk about it. Coming here this week, you know, I felt disappointed for the Dutch team, for example. You know, they've got two quality doubles players, and they do all the hard work all year to come and perform in the so-called biggest stage of the year, and they don't get the chance to play a match. I thought that's a failing in this concept the whole time, and no one is listening," he said.

While he expressed his displeasure with the new format, he also stated that he is not expecting any changes and that quick fixes won't solve the problem.

"So I can talk till I'm blue in the face, but nothing's changing right now. We just keep putting Band-Aids -- well, we don't, but certain people put Band-Aids on problems. It's not fixing the problem. I can't imagine, for the life of me -- you know, I came up playing with the best doubles team in the world, the Woodies, at the time. They come into this format and they don't get to play a match? And they have made that a massive priority? I don't think that's right," he added.

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"I'm gutted for the boys" - Lleyton Hewitt after Australia's loss in the Davis Cup Finals

Canada defeated Australia to lift the 2022 Davis Cup title. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov won their respective singles matches in straight sets against Alex de Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis to guide their team to glory in Malaga.

Speaking in a press conference after the tie concluded, Lleyton Hewitt said that he was gutted for his players but felt proud of their efforts.

"I'm gutted for the boys. You know, they put in their commitment and the work, and they did everything right. They have done absolutely everything all year that we have asked of them as a coaching staff. We're just extremely proud of the effort and commitment and dedication that these guys have shown," Lleyton Hewitt expressed.