Russell is a tennis correspondent.
The last update was on 25 November 2021.
Australia lost to Croatia in the opening tie of the Davis Cup Finals.
Lleyton Hewitt, the captain of Australia's Davis Cup team, said moving the competition to Abu Dhabi would be selling the soul of it.
The International Tennis Federation will make a decision next week on moving the Finals to the Middle East for the next five years.
The deal was brokered by Kosmos, founded by a Barcelona footballer.
"It's not what Davis Cup is about, it's ridiculous," said Hewitt.
Australia were beaten by Croatia in their opening group match of the Finals.
If they are going to sell the soul of the Davis Cup to the Middle East for another five years, they are killing the competition.
It didn't matter if it was in Australia or not, I had some of my greatest memories playing in the Davis Cup semis and finals in front of packed houses.
The atmosphere was amazing. The Davis Cup was considered the top of the sport in men's tennis.
The 2002 Wimbledon champion has been a critic of the end-of-year Finals.
Home and away ties and five-set matches are what the former world number one would like to see remain at the heart of the event.
He has never been a fan of his involvement.
It's being run by a soccer player and his company so it's completely different to anything tennis has been through before. The 40-year-old said that the ITF didn't come to him and ask his thoughts.
Four years ago, we didn't have input, so I'm not sure it will matter now.
The move has not been well received by the players, with some warning that they will not travel to the Middle East so late in the year.
With Kosmos believed to have lost tens of millions of dollars on the event, something had to change and the fee it is set to receive from Abu Dhabi would greatly ease its financial burden.
