After a busy opening couple of months of the 2016 season, Nick Kyrgios hopes Australia have enough left in the tank when the American Davis Cup side arrives in Melbourne for their first round clash in the Davis Cup. The tie will be played on the weekend commencing 4-6 March, and shall be held at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne on a Grass surface.
Kyrgios Hopes To Have Enough In The Tank
It’s been an impressive start to 2016 for Nick Kyrgios, with a first ever ATP Tour title coming in Marseille and a semifinal retirement in Dubai to Stan Wawrinka. His attention will now turn to helping out his national side, as the Americans are in town for the first round of the World Group. It’s been a testing few weeks for Kyrgios, culminating in the retirement during the second set in Dubai after losing the opening set and finding himself 0-3 down. The other key singles player for the Aussies is Bernard Tomic, who finds himself in the last four in Acapulco and still with a strong chance of lifting the title.
Kyrgios spoke before his Dubai semifinal about the upcoming Davis Cup tie, and his hope that the squad will be physically ready for a grueling task.
“I know Bernard is playing Acapulco,” Kyrgios said to the press in Dubai. “Obviously I want him to do well and me to do well this week, but I want enough left in the tank to play Davis Cup”.
The retirement in Dubai could have been with next week’s tie in mind, with the 20-year-old not willing to risk the chance of sustaining a worse injury. Tomic still remains in contention to win the Mexican event and takes on Alexandr Dolgopolov in the first of the men’s semifinals. Alongside Kyrgios and Tomic, Lleyton Hewitt has nominated Sam Groth and John Peers in his first match as the country’s Davis Cup captain. Groth lost in the first round in Acapulco whilst Peers, alongside Henri Kontinen departed at the same stage in Dubai.
Will America’s Rest Favor The Visitors?
Whilst each member of the Australian Davis Cup side featured in ATP Tour action this week, the American side has been rested with none of the four selected men heading to either Acapulco, Dubai or Sao Paulo. Jim Courier has called upon the services of John Isner, Jack Sock and Mike and Bob Bryan to try and reach the second round of the World Group for the first time since 2013.
Much of the hope will be heaped upon John Isner, but the big-serving man has been in poor form and has not won a match since departing the Australian Open in the fourth round to David Ferrer. Sock has been picked ahead of Sam Querrey after winning both his singles rubbers in the playoff encounter with Uzbekistan in 2015. He started the year off well by reaching the final in Auckland, where he unfortunately had to retire against Roberto Bautista Agut.
The rest could favor the visitors, alongside the surface being used at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, with grass favored over hard or clay courts. If the tie is decided on the final day then the fitness of either side could come into effect, but the form of Kyrgios and Tomic creates a reason for the Australian fans to be positive of their chances.
