Captain Lleyton Hewitt is confident in relying on his dependable leader Alex de Minaur, rising star Aleksandar Vukic, and veteran Olympic doubles champions Matt Ebden and John Peers as the Culture Amp Australian Davis Cup team aims for a first-round qualifying victory against Sweden in Stockholm.
After a turbulent Australian Open that saw injuries sideline key players Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Hewitt still had the luxury of calling upon top-quality replacements for the two-day tie, which begins Saturday morning AEDT.
The injuries provided an unexpected chance for 28-year-old Vukic, who impressed during his breakthrough run at the Australian Open, including an upset win over 22nd seed Sebastian Korda. Vukic has long dreamed of a Davis Cup debut, and the opportunity has finally arrived.
“I feel like if we do all the right things, our preparation is key, and I get them in the best physical and mental shape to compete, we’ll have plenty of opportunities on our racquet,” Hewitt said. “I back our boys to get the result. We don’t take anyone lightly.”
World No. 8 de Minaur will start the tie against Mikael Ymer, a former top-50 player who had planned to retire after being suspended for missing three drugs tests but is now on a comeback path. Ymer returned last week with a win at an ITF event in Luxembourg, so de Minaur will need to be at his best.
Vukic will follow de Minaur on Saturday, taking on Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of tennis legend Bjorn Borg. Vukic, now Australia’s 116th Davis Cup player, was emotional after being welcomed to the team by Ken Rosewall during a jacket-presentation ceremony.
“Pretty surreal, I wasn’t expecting it,” Vukic said. “For him to be there, especially being from Sydney as well, I told him I play on his court a lot. It was really special for him to present that to me.”
The doubles pairing of Peers, 36, and Ebden, 37, will reunite for the first time since their Olympic victory in Paris.
Hewitt expressed confidence in his squad in Stockholm, praising the players for prioritizing the Davis Cup so soon after the Australian Open.
“Really proud of the team. We’re here to do a job, and we don’t take anything for granted,” Hewitt said. “It’s great to face another nation that has had so much success in the Davis Cup. Every tie is tough, but we’re excited to be part of the home-and-away ties again. Even though this is an away match, we’re expecting a fantastic atmosphere.”
