Lleyton Hewitt leads an Australian team without major changes, beyond the loss of Thanasi Kokkinakis due to injury, which arrives in Malaga defending the 2023 Davis Cup final and with links to Spain not only on the part of Alex de Miñaur, but also by Alexei Popyrin.
In the press conference prior to the tournament, the Australian legend confesses what he would change about the current format of the Davis Cup, something about which he did not have many doubts: “The most important thing is the home and away games. I have memories in recent years when I played with Cashy, Rafter, and these guys, the stands… Even when I returned to Spain I remember the year 2000, when Rafa Nadal carried the Spanish flag in front of more than 20,000 people, all of them booing and shouting at me. my against
It was an incredible, dreamlike environment to play in. That’s what the Davis Cup was about. Whether playing at home in the semi-finals and in the Rod Laver Arena in the final or in France, Nice, or in Barcelona, it was an incredible experience. Some of my best memories. Some of the hardest, but also some of the best.”
– Full confidence in the whole
Lleyton is fully confident in the team: “We are coming back and it is good that we knew what to expect when we arrived here this year. Last season we came a little blind, now we know the place, the hotel, the surface and all those things. It was good to get used to that, to take a step forward, but we also came here with a purpose. Last year brings back very good memories, but we are determined to go further.
The last couple of years the team has been quite settled, I haven’t had that many different players. It’s more about the camaraderie that the kids have. They know that they are not just playing for themselves. They also play for their country. You need a certain type of player to go out there and perform under these types of pressures and expectations, and these guys can do it. “They have had a great year in singles, which gives me more confidence.”
Who he won’t be able to count on will be Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was injured a few weeks ago in a Challenger in Sydney and couldn’t arrive on time: “He sprained his ankle during the match. He’s been working on it, but had a little setback last week. Honestly, we have a lot of options, so I feel comfortable with Alexei. He has had his best ATP year this season. I know that whoever I put in there will perform at their best and leave everything on the track. “We have complete confidence in the boys.”
