Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt believes that Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios will be fit for their upcoming tie against the USA this weekend.
The two players have experienced injury issues within the past week. Tomic participated in the Mexico Open, where he lost in the final to Austria’s Dominic Thiem. The world No.20 has admitted that throughout the tournament he has been troubled by a sore wrist. Despite the concerns he has pledged to play in the Davis Cup.
“Every match I played (in Mexico), I had a problem”. Tomic said.
“It was very tough for me, I had to take pain killers so I hope it will feel better for Davis Cup.
“I have to play on Friday — how I will do that, I have no idea”. He admitted.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from his match against Stan Wawrinka at the Dubai Tennis Championships due to a back and hip issue. The Australian recently won his first ATP title at the Marseille Open. The 20-year-old also defeated Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals in Dubai.
“I had a bit of a hip injury at the start of Marseille. That was still sort of bothering me a little bit. I have been feeling so bad every day, like I’ve got some viral infection, as well.” Kyrgios said following his retirement.
Both men are expected to play in the singles matches for Australia’s tie against America. The two men will be the key players in the Australian team, which will also feature Sam Groth and doubles specialist John Peers. Their opponents, America, will feature Jack Sock, John Isner and the formidable Bryan brothers.
The prospect of a below-par Tomic and Kyrgios could be fatal to Australia’s Davis Cup hopes. Despite the recent scares, Hewitt is confident that both men will be fit in time for the clash. Refusing to be negative, the Australian captain has fully backed both of them for the tie.
“We’re all good,” Hewitt was quoted by The Age saying.
“Both Nick and Bernie are playing extremely well at the moment. So the biggest thing for them is to get their bodies as close to 100 percent right physically because they have had the matches, they’re confident and they feel good on the big points and they back themselves in. That is why it is important now just for them to more mentally prepare, more than anything. They have beaten quality players over the past couple of weeks”
The clash will take place at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club on grass. Tomic and Kyrgios will reportedly conduct a ‘light hit’ on Tuesday to get accustomed to the conditions. That will be the first indication of how much of a factor their lingering injury problems could have on their performance.
