The wait goes on for Australia to win the Davis Cup after a rampant Italy outfit knocked them out at the semi-final stage of the 2024 edition.
Only the USA have won more titles at the competition than Australia but it was 2003 when the nation were last crowned champions.
The captain Lleyton Hewitt has called for Australia to host the finals event in the future and perhaps that will harness the team’s aspirations of winning.
Hewitt found one aspect of the competition in Spain frustrating and it wasn’t seeing Jannik Sinner rip through Australia like he has done so many other players this year.
Nick Kyrgios is returning to tennis next year. Having failed to win this year, he might fancy handing Hewitt a selection headache for his team in 2025.
Rennae Stubbs tells Lleyton Hewitt he made a mistake at the Davis Cup
It would appear that the team selection from Hewitt didn’t go down overly well with every Australian.
In the semi-final, Hewitt chose to send Thanis Kokkinakis to face Matteo Berrettini and he was beating in three sets despite taking the first.
The decision to play Alex de Minaur against Jannik Sinner was the big talking point and Rennae Stubbs found that decision hard to fathom.
She said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast: “I would have played Popyrin against Berrettini. Having said that he had an opportunity to win. He missed a terrible forehand to lose in the third set.
“But I was thinking maybe even throw Popyrin in against Jannik Sinner. There was no way Demon was beating Sinner, absolutely no chance.
“Nobody is beating Sinner but I would have thrown in a lightning rod who can hold serve. On an indoor court, Popyrin is probably going to hold serve, even against Jannik.”
Australia can come again in 2025
With Kyrgios likely to be in the mix for selection and the current crop of players only likely to be improved, Australia can come again next year.
De Minaur has enjoyed a pretty solid year and both Kokkinakis and Alexei Popyrin are sound players for the future too.
These experiences against established players like Sinner and Berrettini can only put Australia in good stead.
Under the tutelage of a proven winner in Hewitt, there is reason to believe that Australia can end their long wait for a Davis Cup title next year.
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