'It's ridiculous': Hewitt fumes at schedule after Aussie team's monster ...

Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt felt conflicting emotions — including anger — as he assessed a Davis Cup week in Spain that has seen the nation qualify for the finals despite falling 2-1 to the host nation in the last tie of the week in Valencia.

The former world No.1 is ecstatic Australia’s pursuit of claiming its first Davis Cup since 2003 is alive after wins over the Czech Republic and France helped Australia to second in its group. But he is extremely frustrated by what he says is a flawed format.

A member of the 1999 and 2003 Davis Cup winning teams, Hewitt was scathing in his criticism of the current format for the iconic competition, which requires teams to compete in a round-robin in September prior to knockout matches in November for qualifiers.

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The critique came on two fronts, with the dual-grand slam champion incredulous the qualifying week began less than two days after the US Open finished with Jannik Sinner’s success over Taylor Fritz in New York last Sunday.

Australian team members Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell clinched the US Open doubles title on Saturday, with the latter playing on Tuesday against the Czech Republic after travelling from the US to Europe.

It compromised other nations as well, with English No.1 and US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper missing the first tie in Manchester as a result, while the Americans managed to qualify alongside Germany in China despite missing their top five singles players.

“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 ... it’s 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.”

Alex de Minaur, who was courtside in Valencia to support his teammates, is among those who are injured. He has pulled out of the Laver Cup in Berlin beginning next Friday between Europe and Team World.

But Purcell is clearly hindered as well and told foxsports.com.au at the US Open he has been managing problems with both ankles for weeks.

He withdrew from a second round singles match against Tommy Paul in New York but was able to grind his way through the tournament to clinch a second grand slam doubles title before dashing across to Spain for the Davis Cup.

Not surprisingly, when quizzed about his plans after he and Olympic gold medallist Matt Ebden were edged 5-7 6-4 6-4 in a deciding doubles by world No.1 Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez on Sunday, Purcell said he was looking forward to “a good rest”.

Thompson, who served for the opening rubber against dual-US Open semifinalist and former world No.10 Pablo Carreno Busta when edged 2-6 6-2 6-7 (3), did not play until Sunday and has withdrawn from a tournament in China beginning on Wednesday.

There was scuttlebutt during the US Open that the International Tennis Federation is considering a reversion of sorts to ensure the home-and-away concept that was a core feature of the Davis Cup returns in part.

It might be that instead of holding four groups of qualifiers, as per the past week in Valencia, Zhuhai, Manchester and Bologna, this stage of the event is removed and traditional home-and-away qualifying ties return for the early rounds.

Should the Group 1 draw remain at 16, for example, a home-and-away round could be held before the final eight teams play in the Davis Cup Finals in November if the desire remains to keep the playoff deciders.

Three-time grand slam finalist Casper Ruud, who was playing in a lower-tier tie for Norway, told reporters that having nations playing ties in neutral countries was not ideal and robbed the Davis Cup of atmosphere.

“I’ve never played the group stage or the final stage, but just by looking at the TV, it doesn’t look really nice, honestly,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone is particularly impressed with this format they came up with in the last few years. I hope it can change. The old format - I remember Spain and France playing at their homes in the latter stages and how crazy (the fans) got behind their players.

“That’s the spirit of the Davis Cup and the beauty of it, so I hope it can return to a somewhat similar case in the future.”

Hewitt was also bewildered that having qualified for the finals, Australia and Spain had to play out what effectively was a dead rubber, though it does have an impact on seeding for the finals.

Courtesy of a tight loss, with Alexei Popyrin the only victor for Australia when defeating Pedro Martinez 6-4 6-4 in the No.1 singles, Hewitt’s team will face either the United States or Italy in a tough quarterfinal in Malaga in November.

“That’s the stupid part of this format, isn’t it? You know, I can keep saying it,” Hewitt 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, meanwhile, praised de Minaur for showing up this week to barrack from the sidelines and said it was incredible he had managed to reach the last eight of the US Open when very far from full fitness in his recovery from a hip problem that ended his Wimbledon.

Despite missing key events in North America prior to the US Open, the 25-year-old sits in eighth position in the race for the ATP Tour Finals, but Hewitt said it is not certain yet when he will return to the tour as he recovers from a hip complaint.

“(I’m) not 100 percent 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 percent 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.”