Aussie Davis Cup fined for protesting 'grotty' conditions in Uzbekistan

"It was more uncomfortable and unreasonable conditions for what we're used to," Australian Davis Cup captain Patrick Rafter said of Uzbekistan. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The ITF fined the Australian Davis Cup team $10,000 for skipping the official dinner in Uzbekistan earlier this month to protest the unsanitary and unreasonable accommodations provided by the host country. The Aussies won the tie 3-1, but after the team experienced sewage issues, bed bugs and late-night noise throughout their stay in Uzbekistan, captain Patrick Rafter didn't order his team to attend the dinner.

Rafter said he raised the complaints with ITF representatives but received little support. "So I played hardball with them. I'm going to try and get all the captains and players who want change and get the head guys off the (Davis Cup) committee."

"The ITF was there and I said, 'This is crap.' They didn't want to listen and they fined us because the boys didn't go to the dinner," Rafter said.

"I didn't want the boys to do what they didn't want to.

"They (ITF) said, 'You should have been here earlier,' and I said we were preparing to get ready for the match (in Munich).

Add us as a preferred source on Google