Following two years in the role, the two-time US Open winner has been replaced by his deputy and former Davis Cup captain and coach Wally Masur.

Masur also took over from Rafter as Davis Cup captain in 2015, before handing the position to present incumbent Lleyton Hewitt.

"The time is right for me, I came in to Davis Cup and then in this role because I wanted to make a difference and I feel we have taken some major strides," Rafter said in a statement.

"This journey for me - through the Davis Cup years and now as performance director - has been an eye-opener to say the least."

Masur will be tasked with handling Australia’s two leading players, Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, both of whom have been at the centre of much controversy in recent times.

Tomic’s father John had an ongoing conflict with Rafter over his son and daughter Sara regarding funding from Tennis Australia.

The much-publicised dispute extended to Hewitt after Tomic made himself unavailable for a Davis Cup tie earlier this month against the Czech Republic in Melbourne, citing scheduling issues as the reason.

Masur said he was already in frequent contact with Tomic senior and confirmed that Sara Tomic had been offered funding under a Tennis Australia restructuring towards the back end of 2016. 

"They've got to hit certain benchmarks to get X amount of funding but I feel like that's a positive because we're not saying, it's our way or the highway," he added.

Rafter conceded at last month’s Australian Open that he had little say into the direction of Tomic and Kyrgios, with the latter once tweeting: "Another negative comment out of Rafters mouth. Does this guy ever stop #everyoneisaworkinprogress."

Rafter was recently stated that he preferred to leave the two players to their own devices.

"I haven't really been speaking to them very much and I don't really know where they're at," the 44-year-old was reported as saying by AFP. 

"I just sit back and watch from a distance.

“I don't really have a lot to offer them.

"If they ever want to talk to me, I'm happy to talk."

Kyrgios was fined for swearing and racket abuse at the 2017 Australian Open, where he blew a two-set lead and a match point in losing to Italy’s Andreas Seppi in round two. 

The 21-year-old was in control before losing his temper as he complained of a knee injury halfway through the third set.

Kyrgios was returning to tennis at the first Grand Slam of the year after a ban for not trying at the Shanghai Masters ended his 2016 season.

In May of last year, Tomic confirmed he would not play at the Rio 2016 Olympic tournament due to his busy playing schedule.

He had been warned he faced being axed from the Australian team for the Games in the Brazilian city by Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller for what she called "appalling" behaviour during the Madrid Open.

Tomic was accused of "tanking" - failing to try his best - during his straight sets defeat to Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the Spanish capital as he turned his racket upside-down when facing a match point prior to exiting the competition 6-2, 6-4.

He then sparked further fury for his comments following the loss, as when responding to his actions during the match, he told the Australian newspaper Gold Coast Bulletin: "Would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million (£8 million/€9 million)?".