‘He should be extremely proud’: Lleyton Hewitt hails Nick Kyrgios after Australian’s magical Wimbledon run as tennis legend insists he would ‘LOVE’ to have controversial star on his Davis Cup team
- Lleyton Hewitt has hailed Nick Kyrgios after the Aussie’s Wimbledon run
- The 27-year-old reached the final in SW19 but lost to World No 1 Novak Djokovic
- Kyrgios declined Hewitt’s offer to play at the Davis Cup earlier this year
- But the tennis legend still insists he would ‘love’ to have him on his team
Australia’s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said he told Nick Kyrgios he should be proud of his runner-up finish at Wimbledon and hopes he will play for the national team.
Kyrgios, who fell to Novak Djokovic in an engrossing final on Sunday, was asked by Hewitt to join the Australian squad for the men’s team competition earlier this year but he declined.
‘We’d absolutely love to have him playing for us,’ Hewitt, a two-time major champion who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, told Reuters.
Lleyton Hewitt has hailed Nick Kyrgios after the Australian’s magical Wimbledon run
‘We’re a much stronger side if he’s available and can play for us. And he’s an option for singles and doubles matches, which is important in this format.’
Kyrgios and countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Australian Open doubles title in January.
‘To have that kind of weapon at your disposal, we’d certainly want him to be part of that if possible,’ Hewitt said.
Kyrgios’s thundering serve, his superb shot-making and hot temper have combined to make him one of the sport’s most captivating players.
‘Deep down he’s still pretty disappointed to come so close but not win,’ Hewitt said.
The 27-year-old finished runner up in the men’s singles after losing out to Novak Djokovic
Hewitt says he would ‘love’ to have Kyrgios on his Davis Cup team despite his recent snub
‘But as I told him, he should be extremely proud of the performances over the last two weeks and throughout the whole grasscourt season.
‘Everyone knows the kind of firepower and game style that he has and what he’s capable of doing. He just has to go out there and keep believing in himself.’
Hewitt, who was also captain when Kyrgios was on the Davis Cup team in 2019, said that the combustible star probably does not need a full-time coach.
But would Hewitt ever consider taking on the challenge of coaching Kyrgios, who berated his box from the court during the final?
‘Well I can’t do it at the moment anyway because I’m Davis Cup captain, so the decision is easy right now,’ he said with a laugh.
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