Australia's Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has slammed the prestigious competition's format in a scathing assessment.
In years past, the Davis Cup group stage phase commenced a few days after the US Open ended, but this time, the event took place two days after the conclusion of Flushing Meadows to rectify a congested schedule.
Alex de Minaur, Australia's top-ranked player, could not beat the clock to recover from an ongoing hip injury to represent his nation in Valencia.
Coming off doubles success at the US Open with Jordan Thompson, Max Purcell was running on empty - forced to retire from his singles match in New York against Tommy Paul in the second round, while Thompson has withdrawn from a tournament in China to rest up.
“We have had a few guys this week pretty banged up,” Hewitt said.
“It would have been very easy for a few of my boys to not turn up this week, but they have come and put on the green and gold and have done absolutely everything I have asked of them, so I am super proud.
“To try and ask players to play the second day after a Grand Slam finishes [is] not easy. In the old (weekend) format, I used to have to do it, but you’d at least have until Friday before you had to play. Now to play on Tuesday, it’s ridiculous.”
Despite already qualifying for November's Davis Cup Finals, Hewitt was left perplexed as to why Australia and Spain were forced to play out a dead rubber - albeit the seeding system for the quarter-final draw is important.
“That’s the stupid part of this format, isn’t it? You know, I can keep saying it,” the two-time major winner 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.”
Hewitt also commented on the fitness of de Minaur, still uncertain when the 25-year-old will return to the competitive scene.
“[I’m] not 100 per cent sure yet. We are still working through that with him,” he said.
“It has been a tough period for him. You have to take your hat off to him for the effort he put in when not even close to 100 per cent to make the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam.
“That is competing. He did bloody well and he will do everything to get back as quickly as possible. But the time frame, I am not sure.”
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