Australia and the United States held their pre-draw press conferences on Tuesday in advance of this weekend’s first-round Davis Cup tie on the grass courts of Kooyong. Nick Kyrgios was not in attendance for the host nation, while Team USA’s full slate of players took the podium.
Kyrgios is coming off a grueling end of February in which he captured his first career ATP title in Marseille and reached the Dubai semifinals. The 20-year-old retired with a back injury against Stan Wawrinka last week after struggling with the issue in a quarterfinal victory over Tomas Berdych. Now, though, the problem appears to be illness.
“Nick has a virus,” Aussie captain Lleyton Hewitt explained. “At the moment, he is taking it easy and trying to get over that 100 percent to be ready to go. I didn’t want him around the other boys if he is a bit infectious. It is more of a precaution. He will be ready. Nick has played a lot of matches, as well as [Bernard Tomic]. They are coming in confident with their ball-striking and it is about these guys doing the small things to feel comfortable on the grass courts. Come match day, I am backing both of these boys.
“I am lucky with both of these guys. Both of their games suit grass with big serves and good returns. The reason both boys are approaching career-high rankings right now is because of their serves. That will be a big point this weekend because the U.S. team serves well, too. It will come down to a few points here or there, just like any grass-court five-set match, but I am glad our boys have won quite a few matches in the last month.”
Hewitt had previously called his team “underdogs” in this tie, even though the official odds will likely have Australia as a heavy favorite.
“It doesn’t matter one bit,” American captain Jim Courier said of Hewitt’s comment. “We are the away team and we traveled to get here. The crowd will be behind them. We are here to play whether it is as an underdog or overdog. None of that matters…. We have to go to battle and play.”
Friendships will be put aside, too, for this weekend’s showdown. Jack Sock of the USA is good friends with both of Australia’s singles players–especially Kyrgios.
“We are good friends,” Sock said of Tomic, whom the American is scheduled to face on the first day of singles action. “We have spent some time together in our careers. However, in any setting on the court, we go out there and you put that aside and compete. Afterwards, you are still pretty good friends, but when it is on the court that doesn’t really enter your mind.
“Similar to Bernie, I am friends with Nick–but when you step on the court, it is about the tennis and playing each other…. When you are out there playing, that is the only thing that matters—especially this weekend when you are representing your country. It gives me all the more reason to go out there and compete as hard as I can.”
[polldaddy poll=9328348]
Australia the underdog hahahahaha
While they are the favourite, they are not the heavy favourite…
https://www.easyodds.com/online-betting/tennis/international/davis-cup-odds/australia-v-usa/match-result
Now France on the other hand…
Canada (10/1) V France (1/14)
15 units on Canada
5 on USA
20 on Italy
5 on GBR
and so on…
100 on Aussies
Are we doing a DC game, Ricky? 🙂
Thinking I will vote Australia. I keep forgetting about Thanasi. Hopefully he’ll be full steam bu mid-July. Could be a shaky start tho if Kyrgios doesn’t play.
hmmm, we can probably do one
😀
probably something like 200 units, have to put 10 on each of the 8 World Group ties
*at least 10
Intriguing possibilities …for Watto
Can’t wait to see how it’s done 🙂
yep, the Kokk disappeared ever since the Kyrgios incident (albeit because of an unrelated injury)
obviously he wouldn’t have been picked over Tomic or Kyrgios on grass, anyway
Point is, I guess: I’m believing in their depth enough to cast my vote.
Like Ricky’s… 🙂
Jeff Sackmann Retweeted
Dan Gardner @dgardner 4h4 hours ago
Famous pundit forecasting rules: Heads, I win; tails, you forget we had a bet.
https://twitter.com/dgardner/status/704707368702111744
There’s so much bluff and double bluff going on it’s hard to know what to think any longer.
After the final selection is put forward tomorrow we will at least know if the rumours swirling around on the state of Kyrgious’ health are exagerated on not.
If Lleyton comes out to play it will guarantee some lively matches!
Whoopsadaisy. ‘Exaggerated’
Maybe I do need autocorrect afterall 🙁
Nick out, Lleyton in, should be interesting
Aussie should still win. But it’ll be close now.
Wait Lleyton is playing and is the coach? Not done just yet!! Woohoo. Vamos Rusty!!
he’s on the roster. he won’t actually play.
Ok well he’s not supposed to be playing according to the schedule but maybe if Groth plays a trash first match he puts himself in?
he won’t play. You just have to have 4 on the team.
Who is playing Isner? One article say Hewitt, Davis Cup says Groth.
Samuel P. Groth