3 minute read
Lleyton Hewitt has praised his Davis Cup outfit's team spirit as they seek to go one better than their runner's-up finish last year.
Lleyton Hewitt is adamant the camaraderie between his team of troopers will once again be the key to whether Australian tennis can really end its two-decade Davis Cup drought.
This year marks the 20th anniversary since a youthful Hewitt's victory over Spanish star Juan Carlos Ferrero last paved the way for Australia to go on and win the men's 'World Cup of tennis' in Melbourne.
For the first time since that 2003 triumph, Hewitt, now in his guise as captain, guided the team to the final last year in Malaga, a considerable achievement without the country's marquee player, Nick Kyrgios, who preferred instead to end his finest year at a big-money exhibition gig in Saudi Arabia.
Now preparing to try to return to the finals by qualifying from this week's challenging group stage in Manchester against hosts Britain, Switzerland and France, Hewitt is again relying on a trusty squad, which may be bereft of one superstar name but possess burgeoning quality and a fighting spirit throughout.
"I've got a good group of guys here I believe in and, on the back of what we did last year too, there's a lot of belief within the team," said Hewitt on Monday, after a practice session in Manchester with Alex de Minaur, Max Purcell, Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Matt Ebden.
"There's a lot of belief within the team and just really good camaraderie with all the guys. That helps when when you've got each other's backs out there and you can look over to the sideline and know you're not just doing it for yourself, and everyone's going to play their part."
It's a flexible team with strength in depth. De Minaur is at a career-high 12 in the world rankings after reaching the US Open last-16, Purcell is also up to a personal best 43, Thompson is at 55, Kokkinakis is No.74, while Ebden has just jetted in from New York as the Flushing Meadows men's doubles finalist.
With Australian players flourishing this year while Kyrgios has been nursing injuries, Hewitt was even able to leave out three players ranked in the 50s - Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell and Alexei Popyrin - while plumping for Kokkinakis and Thompson, who can slot seamlessly into the doubles if needed.
Still, even as he ponders his line-up for the opening match against Andy Murray-fired hosts Britain on Wednesday, the likelihood is Hewitt will field 2022 Wimbledon champs Ebden and Purcell in the doubles.
"The boys all came here straight after New York and all of them have had some strong results over the last few months, so it was really just trying to keep them ticking over and get ready for three big matches coming up. We're pretty happy with where we're at," added Hewitt.
Australia must finish in the top two in their group to make the finals in Malaga again, with much resting on the opening tie on Wednesday with the hosts who, according to veteran world No.41 Murray, believe they can win the Cup again as they also feature Cameron Norrie (No.17), Dan Evans (No.27) and top doubles player Neal Skupski.
"We've got an extremely tough, extremely competitive group," said de Minaur, who always seems to raise his game when he dons Australia gold in the competition.
"I'm happy with the performances I've been able to put on recently and looking forward to this week. These are always special weeks we get to come together as a team."
