A stirring run by to the fourth spherical of the US Open and a career-high world rating is the type of kind Australian star Alex de Minaur says offers him the boldness wanted to steer his nation to Davis Cup success within the UK this week.
Twenty years after Australia final hoisted the famed trophy, de Minaur stated the “chemistry” within the group with Lleyton Hewitt on the helm and a brand new crop of rising stars hitting their peak had them primed to go one higher than final yr’s remaining defeat to Canada.
Even with out injured star Nick Kyrgios, the Australians are in good condition. De Minaur has reached a career-high rating of 12 after reaching the US Open final 16, teammate Max Purcell can also be as much as a private finest 43, Jordan Thompson is at 55 and Thanasi Kokkinakis at 74, with Matt Ebden becoming a member of the group after making the lads’s double remaining at Flushing Meadows.
With gamers like Purcell in such red-hot kind, Hewitt was capable of pass over three gamers ranked within the 50s – Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O’Connell and Alexei Popyrin for the group matches in opposition to hosts Britain, Switzerland and France in Manchester.
Who fills the second singles slot for the opening conflict in opposition to a UK group that includes veteran Andy Murray, world No.17 Cameron Norrie and No.27 Dan Evans stays a query for Hewitt to reply.
De Minaur, nevertheless, couldn’t be happier along with his personal kind and that of his teammates.
“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.,” he stated.
“We’ve got a lot of motivation to win the group and I think we have a strong team.
“We showed last year what we can do when we stick together. We have a great chemistry and we have each other’s back.”
Hewitt, who was a part of the profitable group in 2003, stated the wealthy historical past of Davis Cup in Australian tennis was not misplaced on the present group of gamers and he wished them to expertise the type of unforgettable second he had.
“I want these boys to get their name on the Cup,” he stated.
“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 and just really good camaraderie with all the guys.
“That helps 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.
“We came very close last year and I know the boys are hungry this year.”
Australia will open its marketing campaign in Manchester on Wednesday and wishes to complete within the prime two of their group to make the finals in Malaga.
Source: www.news.com.au
