Lleyton Hewitt will lead the Australian Davis Cup squad against China – Tennis News
Former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt, is committed to lead Team Australia in the Davis Cup tie against China next year. The Davis Cup Asia/Oceana Group II match will be staged on the grassy courts of Geelong Lawn Tennis Club
in Geelong, China, from 10th to 12th of February next year.
Australia and China have already had a close battle this season in Beijing, with the visitors winning in the end. The captain of Team Australia, Patrick Rafter, cited that the Aussies are very eager to take on the Chinese squad
in the zonal rematch next season and he hopes that they will replicate the results of their previous meeting with more authority.
“Our planning has already started for this tie and we are hellbent on playing well and winning," Rafter said. “The boys really enjoy playing on grass and are keen to get on the local courts as early as we can.”
30-year-old Hewitt is determined to press on with his latest comeback to the professional tennis world but the veteran is also unsure about his future prospects as well. Once the top ranked player in men, Hewitt has drastically
dropped to world number 187 by the end of 2011 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season.
The Australian has admitted that his ambition at this stage of his tennis career is to succeed Rafter as the team captain for the Davis Cup squad but he has not decided anything about his own playing future as yet. Hewitt will
be resuming the Hopman Cup in three weeks time after an agonizing injury which sidelined him from playing for more than three months. The Aussie badly injured his foot in Australia’s Davis Cup playoff against Switzerland, suffering a crushing defeat at the
hands of Stanislas Wawrinka in September this year.
Hewitt will be accompanied by the new 19-year-old Australian tennis sensation, Bernard Tomic, in the Davis Cup campaign against China. The 42 ranked Aussie is all set to represent his side in the group event next season and lots
of expectations are made with the teenager.
Australian Davis Cup manager, Todd Woodbridge, cited that the Aussies will certainly be the hot favourites for the tie against China and their aggressive game play will be far too good for the hosts.
“Geelong is a traditional grass court - it's not a laser-levelled billiard table, it's got some subtleties about it and it's a court that will suit our guys quite well,” Woodbridge said.
Winning the tie against China will book Team Australia a matchup against the winner of the Korea-Taiwan clash.
Tags: