Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt was glad he had a “lot of options” to interchange injured Thanasi Kokkinakis for this week’s quarter-finals in Spain after calling on Alexei Popyrin.
Australia’s second-highest ranked participant amid a career-best yr, Popyrin, 24, turns into one other singles choice with world No.12 Alex de Minaur after Kokkinakis succumbed to an ankle harm.
Popyrin received the Croatian Open in July by beating grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka and jumped from exterior the highest 100 in March to peak at world No.39 final month.
Hewitt might additionally look to Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell for the second singles rubber.
“To be honest, we had a lot of options, so I feel very comfortable with Alexei coming in,” Hewitt stated.
“He’s had his career-best year on the ATP Tour this year, and we’ve got a lot of options in our singles but also in our doubles as well.
“Whoever we end up putting out there on the court I know is going to perform well and leave it all out there for us, and we’ve got full belief in all the boys.”
Kokkinakis twisted his ankle in a event in Sydney two weeks in the past and did not get better sufficient to take his place, with the Australians to open their marketing campaign in opposition to the Czech Republic on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT).
Popyrin will make his first Davis Cup look since November 2021 in Malaga, the place he used to dwell, making certain some further ranges of consolation.
“No Spanish blood, but I did live here,” Popyrin stated.
“I lived in Alicante for five years where Demon (de Minaur) lives and lived actually in Marbella for another five years.
“I’m kind of a local here now – most of my best friends are from this area, from Andalusia. It’s basically a home tournament for me.”
Australia fell on the remaining hurdle in final yr’s Davis Cup, shedding to Canada, and is trying to finish a 20-year title drought.
Source: www.news.com.au
