Valencia, May 19: Tennis player Feliciano Lopez said on Sunday that the Davis Cup needed to change and that he was confident about the tournament's new format, which will see the finals of 18 teams at one venue. The 2019 Davis Cup finals will take place between November 18 to 24 at Madrid's Caja Magica complex.

"It (the David Cup) is a historic competition, it has given us a lot, many people from many countries have enjoyed it and I am in favour of this new Davis," Lopez told Efe news.

"I understand that there are people who have different opinions because it is going to be different and that the changes do not please everyone, but there are times when changes have to take place," the Spanish tennis pro added.

Lopez debuted as the 2019 Madrid Open tournament director and said that it was "a hard experience because of the pace of work," adding that the life of a tennis player is nothing like being in management.

"There are 50 people working all year to make sure everything is fine and I have felt much support from Alberto Berasategui and Manuel Santana," the 37-year-old said.

Lopez added that this year's Madrid Open was the best in recent years and that the farewell of David Ferrer was the main theme. He added that having Rafael Nadal of Spain, Roger Federer of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic of Serbia playing in Madrid was unique in tennis.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2019 10:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).