Tennease
Legend
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...t/news-story/042dc16f352cd450a84204e1adaed3fc
With changes in team tennis events globally, Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt faces a reduced role. Picture: AFP
A changing landscape in team tennis globally is almost certain to lead to a reduced role locally for Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt from next year.
The former world No 1 and passionate national representative remains a regular fixture courtside whenever the majority of our top-ranked men are playing internationally.
But the controversial restructuring of the Davis Cup from this year onwards has significantly reduced the time commitment required for players and support staff.
Amid a broader review into cultural values by Tennis Australia, which included substantial feedback from players and coaches seeking a more collaborative approach from leaders, it was decided the Davis and Fed Cup roles should be aligned equally.
Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik, who has led Australia to their first final in the teams competition since 1993, currently spends about one-third of the time in her role as Hewitt does in charge of the men.
As a result of the restructuring, the former Wimbledon and US Open champion will not have to commit as much time to the captaincy.
Effectively, the active component of the Davis Cup has been cut to two weeks and Tennis Australia reconsidered the role as a result.
A qualifying tie is played over a weekend in February, which leads to either the finals of the competition, which will be held in Madrid in November, or a relegation tie in September.
The Davis Cup revamp was strongly opposed and condemned by both Hewitt and Tennis Australia throughout 2018, given the belief it devalued the historic competition and effectively reduced the amount of world-class tennis played locally.
Hewitt will captain a team likely to be spearheaded by Alex de Minaur and include Jordan Thompson, John Millman, Alexei Popyrin and John Peers in Madrid, after their success in a tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina played in Adelaide in February.
Hewitt, who became embroiled in an ugly public spat with Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios in January, also operates the elite Albany Academy in the Bahamas. It has a focus on tennis and golf. He is also a highly sought-after commentator.
The 38-year-old was in Sydney alongside fellow Australian legends Pat Rafter, John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall earlier this week for the launch of the ATP Cup to be played in January.
The Weekend Australian reported last month it was unlikely Hewitt would be anointed as captain for the $22m tournament given his difficulties with Kyrgios, who is playing in the Laver Cup this weekend in Geneva.
As the nation’s top-ranked man, Kyrgios has the right to choose who will captain Australia in the event to be played in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
The No 1 man from each of the 24 competing nations, in conjunction with their teammates, can also opt against selecting a captain for the tournament, which will be played as a round-robin before a knockout phase in Sydney from the quarter-finals onwards.
When asked about his participation in the ATP Cup, Hewitt stressed his excitement for the concept and said he would be delighted to be involved in any role, be it as captain, an ambassador or as a commentator.
Tennis Australia recently appointed Kathryn Page to the role of national wellbeing and inclusion lead as it seeks to drive an improvement in culture, from grassroots to the elite level. Wally Masur was also appointed before Wimbledon to a new role as director of professional tennis.
The Weekend Australian revealed in January, at the height of the public fracas instigated by criticism from Tomic, that a widespread review would be undertaken into the whole of performance headed by Chief Tennis Officer Matt Dwyer.
Kyrgios earlier claimed in a since-deleted social media post that Hewitt had abandoned him and the talented but injury-prone Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was surprisingly overlooked for a wildcard into the Australian Open. Hewitt issued a strong rebuttal to the points raised by Tomic, declaring the player would never represent Australia again, while also issuing a rebuke to Kyrgios about his work ethic.
Courtney Walsh
Sports Reporter
Courtney Walsh is a sports writer for The Australian specialising in AFL and tennis. He has also written for the Herald Sun, mX and various tennis magazines. He has worked as a tennis coach and is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, where he attained a Full Blue when named an All Australian in tennis.
With changes in team tennis events globally, Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt faces a reduced role. Picture: AFP
- exclusive
Courtney Walsh
- 12:00AM September 21, 2019
A changing landscape in team tennis globally is almost certain to lead to a reduced role locally for Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt from next year.
The former world No 1 and passionate national representative remains a regular fixture courtside whenever the majority of our top-ranked men are playing internationally.
But the controversial restructuring of the Davis Cup from this year onwards has significantly reduced the time commitment required for players and support staff.
Amid a broader review into cultural values by Tennis Australia, which included substantial feedback from players and coaches seeking a more collaborative approach from leaders, it was decided the Davis and Fed Cup roles should be aligned equally.
Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik, who has led Australia to their first final in the teams competition since 1993, currently spends about one-third of the time in her role as Hewitt does in charge of the men.
As a result of the restructuring, the former Wimbledon and US Open champion will not have to commit as much time to the captaincy.
Effectively, the active component of the Davis Cup has been cut to two weeks and Tennis Australia reconsidered the role as a result.
A qualifying tie is played over a weekend in February, which leads to either the finals of the competition, which will be held in Madrid in November, or a relegation tie in September.
The Davis Cup revamp was strongly opposed and condemned by both Hewitt and Tennis Australia throughout 2018, given the belief it devalued the historic competition and effectively reduced the amount of world-class tennis played locally.
Hewitt will captain a team likely to be spearheaded by Alex de Minaur and include Jordan Thompson, John Millman, Alexei Popyrin and John Peers in Madrid, after their success in a tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina played in Adelaide in February.
Hewitt, who became embroiled in an ugly public spat with Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios in January, also operates the elite Albany Academy in the Bahamas. It has a focus on tennis and golf. He is also a highly sought-after commentator.
The 38-year-old was in Sydney alongside fellow Australian legends Pat Rafter, John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall earlier this week for the launch of the ATP Cup to be played in January.
The Weekend Australian reported last month it was unlikely Hewitt would be anointed as captain for the $22m tournament given his difficulties with Kyrgios, who is playing in the Laver Cup this weekend in Geneva.
As the nation’s top-ranked man, Kyrgios has the right to choose who will captain Australia in the event to be played in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
The No 1 man from each of the 24 competing nations, in conjunction with their teammates, can also opt against selecting a captain for the tournament, which will be played as a round-robin before a knockout phase in Sydney from the quarter-finals onwards.
When asked about his participation in the ATP Cup, Hewitt stressed his excitement for the concept and said he would be delighted to be involved in any role, be it as captain, an ambassador or as a commentator.
Tennis Australia recently appointed Kathryn Page to the role of national wellbeing and inclusion lead as it seeks to drive an improvement in culture, from grassroots to the elite level. Wally Masur was also appointed before Wimbledon to a new role as director of professional tennis.
The Weekend Australian revealed in January, at the height of the public fracas instigated by criticism from Tomic, that a widespread review would be undertaken into the whole of performance headed by Chief Tennis Officer Matt Dwyer.
Kyrgios earlier claimed in a since-deleted social media post that Hewitt had abandoned him and the talented but injury-prone Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was surprisingly overlooked for a wildcard into the Australian Open. Hewitt issued a strong rebuttal to the points raised by Tomic, declaring the player would never represent Australia again, while also issuing a rebuke to Kyrgios about his work ethic.
Courtney Walsh
Sports Reporter
Courtney Walsh is a sports writer for The Australian specialising in AFL and tennis. He has also written for the Herald Sun, mX and various tennis magazines. He has worked as a tennis coach and is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, where he attained a Full Blue when named an All Australian in tennis.
Last edited:
