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Bernard Tomic has launched an extraordinary attack on Lleyton Hewitt, claiming Australian players dislike the Davis Cup captain while suggesting there is a "conflict of interest" with his team selections.
- Bernard Tomic says he wants Lleyton Hewitt to step down as Davis Cup captain
- Tomic has not played Davis Cup for Australia since 2016
- He claims Hewitt favours certain Australian players over others
Tomic, who has not played Davis Cup for Australia since 2016, unleashed on Hewitt during a media conference following his Australian Open first-round defeat to sixth seed Marin Cilic.
The pair have endured a strained relationship since Hewitt's playing days, with a recent flashpoint being almost 12 months ago following comments Tomic made on a reality TV show.
Tomic was asked on Monday night whether he would make himself available to play Davis Cup for Australia when he chose to criticise Hewitt and his role as captain.
"It's all Lleyton. I'm going to say it honestly, no-one likes him anymore," Tomic said.
"He's just doing the wrong thing. He's playing Davis Cup, I thought he was retired. He's playing all these matches and stuff like this. You know what I mean?
"He used to hate Tennis Australia. It's weird. And now he loves them. What's happened here?"
Tomic, the world number 88, claims Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are also frustrated with Hewitt's captaincy and do not "want to play [Davis Cup] anymore".
"He doesn't put Nick first, he doesn't put Kokkinakis first. He only thinks of himself," Tomic said.
Tomic said it was "wrong" that Hewitt, who retired from playing singles at the 2016 Australian Open, had picked himself to play doubles during his Davis Cup captaincy.
"You're not playing, bro. You're retired," he said.
Tomic also suggested young Australian players such as Alex Bolt, Jordan Thompson and Marc Polmans, who were all given wildcards at Melbourne Park, were treated more favourably by Hewitt and Tennis Australia.
Kokkinakis missed out on a wildcard but qualified for the main draw.
"Bolty, Polmans, all of these guys, they're under his wing, so they get a percentage of that," he said.
"So, it's conflicts of interest. I think it's terrible. They're all under Lleyton's wing, under the management company. It's all a conflict of interest."
Tomic says he wants to see Hewitt removed as Davis Cup captain as soon as possible.
"I hope he can get moved and we can go back to having a good captain," he said.
Hewitt, a former world number one and a two-time major singles winner, is set to contest the doubles at the Australian Open alongside countryman John-Patrick Smith via a wildcard.
Topics: tennis, sport, australian-open, melbourne-3000
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