Footballer Gerard Pique has hit back at critics of the revamped Davis Cup Finals, saying they will be a "festival of tennis".
The Barcelona defender played down concerns about changes to the traditional Davis Cup format and his role in the tournament at a draw ceremony for the Finals in Madrid.
The competition will take place at the city's La Caja Magica in November with 18 teams facing off in a group stage leading to a knockout event in a similar style to football's World Cup.
The new format is a drastic departure from the 119-year-old team competition where 16 World Group teams competed throughout the year, but Pique says it could be a special opportunity.
"We are very excited, we have been working on this for over a year now and we have a tremendous team of people involved," Pique said.
"We're all working together to make this a true festival. I saw Davis Cup as an opportunity and we believe we can create something very special."
The Barcelona and Spain footballer is involved in the enterprise through Kosmos, the Spanish investment group he founded, which will invest $3 billion into the Davis Cup over 25 years.
But Pique has faced criticism for meddling with the competition, which is steeped in tradition and loved by some tennis players.
Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt recently said having the finals in one city was "ridiculous" and said Pique knew "nothing" about tennis.
"We're getting run by a Spanish football player. That's like me coming out and making changes to the Champions League," Hewitt said in January.
At last year's US Open Roger Federer was also unimpressed. He said it was "odd to see a footballer arrive and meddle in the tennis business" and argued "the Davis Cup should not become the Pique Cup".
After the draw ceremony Pique responded to Federer's use of that name, saying: "I hate it, because it's not about me and I don't want my name on the competition."
"Davis Cup history is so big. I hope we can change this opinion. After a few years, I hope they go back and say 'We were wrong, Davis Cup is more alive than ever'.
"I respect the opinion of Lleyton, he was a great player. I can understand that when a footballer comes in the tennis world it can seem a little bit awkward or strange, but at the end of the day I'm not going to be changing the rules of tennis."
Pique, 32, also said he was too busy trying to help Barcelona win La Liga and the Champions League to be meddling too much in the ITF's flagship tournament.
"I don't want to be distracted because I have another job, which is to play football. It helps me be focused, more concentrated and not to make mistakes on the pitch because otherwise I know there will be criticism," he told the Daily Mail.
Pique also revealed team-mate and friend Lionel Messi was playing a small role as an investor in the Kosmos investment group which has pumped £2.15 billion to fund the reworked tournament.
"Leo knows more than anyone about this because he is involved in Kosmos," Pique was quoted as saying by British media on Friday.
"He is a partner, he is part of the Kosmos family, he likes tennis. We have a relationship of 18 years since he arrived at the club and I always try to share with him things I'm thinking, he loves to be part of it and he wanted to be part of it."
This article used information from Reuters.