Alex De Minaur, Aleksandar Vukic and Olympic champs John Friends and Matt Ebden will signify the Tradition Amp Australian Davis Cup crew in opposition to Sweden in Stockholm.
Stockholm, Sweden, 31 January 2025 | AAP and tennis.com.au
Captain Lleyton Hewitt is pleased to depend on his trusty spearhead Alex de Minaur, hungry newcomer Aleksandar Vukic and veteran Olympic champion doubles gamers Matt Ebden and John Friends to steer the Tradition Amp Australian Davis Cup crew to a first-round qualifying win over Sweden in Stockholm.
Following a chaotic Australian Open for Hewitt throughout which accidents impacted chosen crew members Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis, he nonetheless had the luxurious of calling on high quality replacements for the two-day tie, which begins on Saturday morning AEDT.
> READ MORE: Hewitt backs De Minaur-led Davis Cup squad in Sweden
The accidents opened an sudden alternative for late-blooming 28-year-old Vukic, who revealed throughout his breakthrough run at Melbourne Park, throughout which he knocked out 22nd seed Sebastian Korda, how a lot he had coveted the considered a Davis Cup debut.
“I really feel like if we do all the proper issues and our preparation is vital and I get them in nearly as good a form bodily and mentally to go on the market to compete, I really feel like a number of alternative goes to be on our racquet,” Hewitt stated. “I again our boys to get the outcome. We don’t take anybody evenly.”
Welcome to the crew, Aleks 🇦🇺
Incomes his place within the Australian Davis Cup crew for the primary time, Aleksandar Vukic is introduced along with his gold jacket by four-time champion Ken Rosewall 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/AXQ88dxTiv
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 30, 2025
World No.8 De Minaur kicks off proceedings in opposition to Mikael Ymer, a former top-50 participant who had deliberate to retire after being suspended for 18 months for lacking three medicine checks in a 12 months however has determined to hit the comeback path.
It’s not a win De Minaur can take without any consideration, although, as Ymer returned final week with a victory in an ITF event in Luxembourg.
Vukic might be second up on the Royal Tennis Corridor on Saturday, in opposition to Leo Borg, 21-year-old son of former nice, Bjorn Borg.
The 116th man to play Davis Cup for Australia, world No.66 Vukic was moved when the good Ken Rosewall welcomed him to the crew in a jacket-presentation ceremony.
“Yeah fairly surreal, wasn’t anticipating it,” Vukic stated. “For him to be there, particularly another person from Sydney as effectively, I used to be telling him I play on his courtroom loads.
“It’s very good to have met him and for him to have introduced that to me.”
> READ MORE: Tradition Amp companions with Tennis Australia and nationwide groups
The doubles will characteristic 36-year-old Friends and 37-year-old Ebden reunited on courtroom for the primary time since their Olympic triumph in Paris.
Hewitt stated he was assured with the squad he had at his disposal in Stockholm and praised his expenses for having made Davis Cup a precedence so quickly after the Australian Open.
“Actually happy with the crew. We come right here to do a job, and we actually don’t something without any consideration,” he stated. “It’s good to play one other one of many nice nations which have had a number of success in Davis Cup as effectively.
“Each Davis Cup tie is all the time powerful, it doesn’t matter. For us it’s good to get a possibility to play within the home-and-away ties once more … Although that is an away tie I feel it’s nice as a result of we must always have a extremely nice environment.”
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