The Committee Chair of the ATP
Davis Cup, Mark Woodforde, has hit back at
Stan Wawrinka after the player threw shade at the tournament in its current format.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka was part of Switzerland's team competing in Group B of the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage at the AO Arena in Manchester from September 12-17. Unfortunately, their team lost all of their ties, meaning they will not qualify for the quarter-finals.
However, ahead of their first clash against Team France, Wawrinka posted a video showing the empty stands in the arena and criticizing Gerard Piqué and Kosmos, who were behind several major format changes that were made to the Davis Cup a few years ago and that many have called financially unsustainable.
Woodforde hits back at Wawrinka
Woodforde was quick to hit back at Wawrinka, calling his post 'politically motivated' and 'unnecessary.'
"It's in the minority some of those voices, some of them are politically motivated, which is unnecessary. Stan created a bit of a furor by filming the stands. We're always welcome to having feedback, it's unfortunate he did it in such a public way," he said.
As well as his post, the Swiss player has also spoken out about the lack of 'atmosphere' in the arena.
"I played some Challenger tournaments this year and there were way more people and a way better atmosphere than when we played France," he said.
Lleyton Hewitt, who captained fellow Group B member Team Australia, also called out the format of the event and said the lack of attendance was a 'disaster.'
"I've said for years the two greatest things that Davis Cup had was the best-of-five sets, because it was the pinnacle of our sport, and the home and away format.
"Playing in front of 500 or 1000 people, it's not the same. But as I've told my team all the time, the pride comes in wearing the green and gold, so for us no matter what the format is, we're still gonna go out there and leave it all on the line," he said.
