Australia team captain Lleyton Hewitt has once again called for a change in the Davis Cup hosting format after the green and gold exited the event overnight.
In its third year, the Spanish city of Málaga is currently playing hosts for the Finals after Madrid welcomed the final eight participants in the 2019 and 2021 editions.
Throughout Australia's tie against eventual winners Italy, the crowd at Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena consisted of mostly Italians.
"I felt I was playing an away tie, it was tough on Australia," admitted Kokkinakis after his loss against Matteo Berrettini. "We were playing in Spain, but I thought we were in Italy."
Australia hasn't hosted the Davis Cup Finals since 2003 — the last time they won the tournament at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.
Having hosted the event for five straight years in Spain, Hewitt is adamant that his country deserves the right to be heavily considered to host.
"Once again, we’re a long way from Australia aren’t we?" said Hewitt.
"It will be nice when they take our bid seriously to host the Finals. Australia will put on a bloody good event."
Last week, the two-time Davis Cup winner expressed his frustration concerning Europe's advantage and stressed that it was time for new scenery.
"It’s frustrating for these guys to always have to come all the way over to Europe every single year to play in the Finals," said Hewitt.
"I know how special it was for me to win Davis Cup Finals in Australia. I think we all know how good a tradition our country has in this competition for well over a hundred years. We’ll see where that lands."
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