Lleyton Hewitt and Novak Djokovic sound off amid frustrating Davis Cup drama

Lleyton Hewitt and Novak Djokovic have both sounded off on the new Davis Cup format and have called for the historic home and away ties to be brought back. Aussie captain Hewitt has helped coach Australia to the semi-final of the Davis Cup against the Czech Republic.

However, the three-leg tie is being played in Malanga, Spain. Most recently, the crowd at Australia's tie against Belgium was called out with next to no one attending the doubles clash.

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This can often be the case if the home team isn't playing. The move from the International Tennis Federation to a one stop destination has left some legends and current players baffled.

And ahead of their clash against the Czech Republic, Hewitt took aim at the format and claimed the competition may have lost its appeal to the audience because home fans can't barrack for their team.

“The No 1 thing is home-and-away ties. I have watched plenty of vision the last few years even of back in the day when I was playing, Cash, Rafter, these guys. The crowds, even me coming back here to Spain and remembering 2000, Hewitt said.

"Rafa Nadal was carrying the flag onto the court in front of over 20,000 people, all booing and screaming against me, and it was still an unbelievable atmosphere that I’d want a dream of playing in. You know, that’s what the Davis Cup was about.

“So yeah, whether we played home semis and finals in Rod Laver Arena or away in France, in Nice, or obviously Barcelona, it was an unbelievable experience and some of my best memories. Some of my hardest memories, as well, but some of my very best.”

Novak Djokovic calls for change ahead of Davis Cup tie

And Hewitt's sentiment towards the old Davis Cup atmosphere also resonated with 24-time grand slam champion Djokovic. The Serbian is set to lead his him into the clash against Great Britain.

"I actually personally feel that the best format will be somewhere in between the old one and the new one, but I don't think that this is best for the nations participating in the World Group," Djokovic said. "The fact that we, as a team, have not played in Serbia many years is not great, because we don't give an opportunity to, you know, people in Serbia to watch us play, especially young people, young tennis players."

While top figures are calling for change to the team competition, it doesn't appear there will be any chance in the near future from the International Tennis Federation. Hewitt watched on as Jordan Thompson lost his tie to Thomas Machac. However, despite facing match point in the second set, Alex de Minaur showed his battling spirit and fought back to level the tie in Thursday morning. Australia will now face the Czech Republic in a deciding doubles match, which will see Hewitt pick the players to compete.

Recently, three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka filmed the lack of atmosphere at his own tie to showcase the new format. Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge then took a swipe at the sport's governing body after warning the Davis Cup "will become a thing of the past" unless something is done to save the famous teams event, which has been around for more than a century.

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