TENNIS • Australian Davis Cup Team Named Ahead of March tie Against Hungary

By Witherspoon
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Updated: February 5, 2022

Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur leads the Australian Davis Cup squad. EPA-EFE/DAVE HUNT

The Australian Davis Cup team comprising world No.33 Alex de Minaur, world No.65 Alexei Popyrin, Australian Open men’s doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis, world No.12 doubles specialist John Peers and debutant Luke Saville will line up against Hungary at the 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifiers next month.

Less than eight weeks after hosting the third edition of the ATP Cup and the one-off Sydney Tennis Classic, the Harbour City will host international tennis again from March 4-5 on hardcourt at Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre. Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt is anticipating a bumper tie against the Hungarians in only their third meeting in Davis Cup history.

Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis is set for his Davis Cup return next month. Photo credit: EPA

“We’re looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd, “Hewitt said. “Alex has had most of his recent success in Sydney, winning the Sydney international a few years back but also some of his best results last month, including quality wins against Berrettini and Humbert.

“Thanasi had a fantastic Australian summer. He really cemented himself as a top 100 player again, winning his first title at home in Adelaide and beating quality players. And then to go on to win the Australian Open doubles, this is going to give him a lot of confidence heading into this tie. “Popyrin got an opportunity to play a big Davis Cup match in the finals last year. He has a lot of firepower out there, a lot of weapons as well and certainly an option for singles or doubles.

“John Peers has been a regular in the Davis Cup team for a number of years now, he’s a top 15 doubles player. He won the Sydney Tennis Classic a couple of weeks ago and played exceptionally well with Luke Saville at the ATP Cup last month. “And Luke gets his first opportunity to represent Australia at Davis Cup. It’s something he has worked extremely hard for, and I couldn’t be prouder of him to get this opportunity and being able to present him with a gold jacket and his number,” Hewitt added.

De Minaur, as Australia’s No.1 ranked male player, will again lead Australia’s Davis Cup team at home.

“It’s always an honor to put the green and gold on,” 22-year-old De Minaur said. “I can’t wait to get back to Ken Rosewall Arena where I played some of my best tennis over the summer and to play in front of a home crowd.”

For Kokkinakis, 25, the upcoming tie will be his first since 2015 and his fifth Davis Cup nomination overall.

“I’m obviously stoked to get the call up from Lleyton. It’s been a long time since I’ve played Davis Cup,” Kokkinakis said. “It’s a pretty cool feeling putting on those colors and playing for Australia. That atmosphere is unmatched, it’s a great reward for the summer I’ve had, for me and my team, and all the hard work I’ve put in.”