Sept 10 (Askume) – Australia’s hopes of ending a 21-year Davis Cup drought suffered a blow when Alex de Minaur was ruled out of the group stage with a hip problem.
De Minaur reached the quarterfinals of the US Open but was forced to withdraw from the Grand Slam tournament due to a hip injury and lost to Britain’s Jack Draper in straight sets.
Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt confirmed the world number 11 has been ruled out ahead of Tuesday’s opener against France in Valencia.
“Alexa has been unbelievable in Davis Cup over the last three or four years,” Hewitt said.
“But he has been struggling since Wimbledon and is not really 100 per cent fit. He is desperate to compete but ultimately he has no choice.”
Hewitt said Australia, the Czech Republic and Spain were all in “a very tough group”.
However, he cited the players’ performances at the US Open as an example and believed his team could progress even without de Minaur.
Alexei Popyrin defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the last 16 at Flushing Meadows, while Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell combined to win the men’s doubles title.
“We are ready to play against any team,” he said. “These guys have been working hard not just this week but all year.
“They will be confident as we move forward.”
Australia are the second most successful nation in Davis Cup after the United States and have reached the final of the last two editions of the tournament, losing to Italy last year and to Canada in 2022.
In 2003, Australia won the last of 28 titles, with Hewitt winning the singles match to help defeat Spain in the final in Melbourne.
