Alex de Minaur played a key role for Australia at the United Cup, but the hosts fell at the quarterfinal stage.
De Minaur has high hopes for his season, with the Australian currently sitting sixth in the ATP Tour rankings.
He was a crucial figure for captain Lleyton Hewitt as Australia enjoyed a lengthy run at the United Cup, much to the delight of the home fans.
But the home favorites finally came undone against 2025 finalists Poland, who won their quarterfinal tie in Sydney 2-1.
What does Alex de Minaur need to change to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Lleyton Hewitt’s bold Alex de Minaur snub could be crucial for his season
De Minaur clinched the opening point with his masterclass against Hubert Hurkacz, beating his opponent 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 after two hours and 18 minutes.
His teammate Maya Joint failed to repeat such success, understandably losing her tie with WTA star Iga Swiatek.
De Minaur was called upon in the deciding doubles clash against Czechia in the group stages, with Hewitt’s decision justified, but the latter opted against making that same decision against Poland.
Instead, Storm Hunter and John-Patrick Smith played against Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa, with the Polish pair coming out on top.
Explaining his decision to omit De Minaur, former world number one Hewitt said: “Alex was feeling a few tweaks the last few days.
“He’s been doing a lot of training in the off-season to get ready for five-set matches. We decided the best thing for his body moving forward was not to put his hand up to play mixed tonight.
“Also, if you are that second match, to turn around straightaway and switch on. You just don’t want to risk injury as well at certain times, especially the amount of moving he had to do tonight against a quality player out there.”
It was undoubtedly a bold and controversial move from Hewitt, but it was one that could be crucial to any De Minaur success this season given his injury issues of late.
Who is your dark horse for the 2026 Australian Open?
Lleyton Hewitt deserves praise for Alex de Minaur omission
Not only was it a bold move from Hewitt, but it was really classy, with the Australian legend clearly looking out for his compatriot.
He knows that De Minaur has a very long and important season ahead, starting with the Australian Open later this month.
And rather than risking injury at the United Cup, the captain was wise enough and honorable enough to put the player’s individual campaign first.
Hewitt knew the risk he was taking by snubbing De Minaur, but he did it anyway, and the captain deserves big praise for that move, which incidentally won’t have pleased many Australian fans.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
