Lleyton Hewitt says he’d like to have had Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios throwing his appreciable expertise behind Australia’s Davis Cup push.
Yet captain Hewitt is completely pleased with the group of warriors who’ve “put their hand up for their country” and reached the semi-finals of this 12 months’s competitors with out the assistance of his doubtlessly most devastating singles weapon.
Kyrgios, who has opted out of the Davis Cup fray for 3 years now, had himself remarked final week on the ATP Finals in Turin that he felt the present group, led by the impressed Alex de Minaur, was geared up to win the trophy in Malaga this week, even with out him.
And it regarded that means on Tuesday when de Minaur and Jordan Thompson each earned the singles victories that carried Hewitt’s males to a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands to qualify for Friday’s semi.
“Well, obviously we would have loved to have Nick play. You know, he’s had an incredible year and not played that many tournaments, (and) we all know the capability of how he can play high-level tennis when he’s motivated,” stated Hewitt, when requested about Kyrgios’s absence.
“For us not to have him here, we put that aside and we try and come together, and we’ve got a good group of guys here that are willing to do the hard yards and put their hand up for their country – and I couldn’t be prouder of all of them.”
After a tough week’s coaching camp in Paris, Hewitt plumped for Jordan Thompson to again up de Minaur within the singles, and was rewarded with a terrific, gutsy efficiency from the Sydneysider, who scrapped his technique to victory over Tallon Griekspoor.
But the captain was adamant he would have been simply as joyful to go along with Thanasi Kokkinakis or Jason Kubler, who have been enthusiastic cheerleaders on the bench in Malaga.
“I would have had as much faith in Kubes going out there and playing tonight as I did Thommo …. Thanasi, I could have easily played him as well,” shrugged Hewitt.
“Tough decisions, but some you get right, some you don’t, and tonight it fell our way.”
Hewitt admitted to having kittens in regards to the consequence, such was the nip-and-tuck nature of the 2 three-setters.
“But I’m just really proud of the boys. They left it all out there … they wear their heart on their sleeve and love wearing the green and gold.”
On Wednesday, Australia will study who they’re going to play within the last-four as Spain, with no Carlos Alcaraz or Rafael Nadal of their ranks, face final 12 months’s finalists Croatia, who is perhaps the strongest group within the finals, with Marin Cilic, Borna Coric and doubles stars Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.
