Tennis world reacts fervently to revamped Davis Cup

Few events in tennis evoke the same kind of passion from players and fans that the Davis Cup does.

So when the proposal to have the event culminate in a weeklong, 18-team tournament passed with 71 percent of the vote at the ITF's Annual General Meeting, people had a lot to say.

Most notably, many figures in tennis were displeased, even going so far as calling it the end of the Davis Cup.

Judy Murray, a former Fed Cup captain and the mother of two Davis Cup champions, had a striking image to share.

And two-time champion and current Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt took issue with the end of five-set matches and the de-emphasis of home-and-away ties.

Roger Federer had this to say in Cincinnati:

"The ITF has historically never involved the players. I'm still a bit surprised. I didn't get involved because I didn't know the solution. It was definitely flawed in some ways, you know, the Davis Cup. So for me, I don't know, I feel sad about it, you know, not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. It will never be the same."

Novak Djokovic, who would beat Federer in the Cincinnati final, had a relatively positive approach:

"I'm really glad that, you know, people of ITF are understanding the urgency of changing the format and the schedule. It was just not right, especially for the top players. Very few top players have played consistently the Davis Cup competition."

It should be noted that the new format includes 12 home-and-away qualifying ties, to take place in February.

Australia's John Millman was upset that the players didn't have enough of a voice in the process.

And defending Fed Cup champion CoCo Vandeweghe expressed concern that the changes could eventually carry over to the women's side.

Not everyone involved is too bothered by the changes, though. Nick Kyrgios, who particularly enjoys team competitions, was loudly indifferent.

And Mardy Fish thought it was clearly time for a change.

American Tommy Paul looked extremely optimistic.

The new Davis Cup will get started in 2019, with the November final tournament held in either Madrid or Lillie, France.

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American Tommy Paul looked extremely optimistic.

The new Davis Cup will get started in 2019, with the November final tournament held in either Madrid or Lillie, France.

Tennis Channel PLUS is your home for the Western & Southern Open. Watch every match live from 8 courts only on Tennis Channel PLUS.