His captain Lleyton Hewitt has tried to speak him into it – however to no avail.
His mate Alex de Minaur has tried to bend his ear – however he cannot be swayed.
Still the message from the world championship near-miss in Malaga felt obvious sufficient – no Nick Kyrgios, no Davis Cup.
As the questions resumed over how Hewitt’s splendid Australian facet, filled with spirit, grit and expertise, may go one higher than being runners-up within the sport’s largest group occasion, one title inevitably cropped up instantly.
After all, Canada’s 2-0 hammering of Australia within the Malaga closing on Sunday, courtesy of good straight-set demolition jobs by powerhouses Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, had dropped at life Hewitt’s fears that sheer firepower may finally win the day.
For on this competitors, you want your large weapons – however Australia’s main weapon, the one explosive singles pressure assured to instil trepidation into any opponent, has not competed for his nation within the Davis Cup for 3 years now.
Asked if may be capable to persuade Kyrgios, who’s loved his most profitable season headed by a run to the ultimate at Wimbledon, to affix the group once more subsequent yr, Hewitt simply shrugged with a weary smile: “I don’t know. You have to ask him. I can’t try any harder.”
Pressed if he’d tried laborious to woo him, he added: “Of course. I try and come here with the best possible team we could field.”
De Minaur was then additionally requested if he may attempt to persuade his buddy, and responded: “I have tried, as well. Just wasn’t meant to be…”
The irritating factor for Hewitt have to be that final week Kyrgios was taking part in in Europe in doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis on the ATP Finals.
Kokkinakis hopped straight from Turin to affix the group however Kyrgios had already known as an finish to his breakout singles season early final month.
He will, nevertheless, be taking part in an exhibition occasion in Saudi Arabia in two weeks time.
Kyrgios is, after all, very a lot his personal man and could have his personal causes for an absence from the nationwide group which stretches again to since he received his final two rubbers in November 2019.
But it was laborious to flee the sensation throughout an absorbing week’s tennis within the Spanish resort, with enthusiastic crowds following the motion, that this was precisely the high-octane environment wherein Kyrgios revels and thrives.
Along with de Minaur, he may need supplied the kind of formidable singles strike pressure the Canadians despatched out.
Instead, Australia appeared fatally weakened by having to play Kokkinakis, who was, by his personal reckoning, rusty, quick on confidence and “off the pace” towards Shapovalov.
Not that the indefatigable de Minaur, crushed by an impressed Auger-Aliassime, was shopping for into the concept that Australia cannot win the Cup with out Kyrgios.
“Look, I think we were very close today. Yeah, just wait until the next time we get the same match-up. Hopefully we can get the win and prove that we can do it.”
