Lleyton Hewitt wants to get the wayward Australian Davis Cup team back on track as new Davis Cup captain.
Both Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic have been left off the team this season for various behavioral issues, though Australia still managed to reach the semifinals of the team competition. Hewitt, who both played and assisted with the team this season, has just been confirmed as the next team captain and has a good relationship with both young players.
The former No. 1 helped Kyrgios during the hardcourt season and sat in his player box during matches, and was on hand when the 20-year-old made his derogatory remarks about opponent Stanislas Wawrinka's girlfriend in Montreal.
Hewitt described Kyrgios as a huge talent who is still putting things together. "He is so good for the sport of tennis in so many ways if he can control it to a certain line because he brings so many different people to watch our great sport, and he does it not just in Australia but across the globe," he told the *Sydney Morning Herald*.
Of Tomic, who Hewitt previously had conflict with but is now a regular hitting partner, the 34-year-old made more positive remarks. Tomic was suspended from the Davis Cup quarterfinal because of a press conference tirade against officials from Tennis Australia, and then arrested for playing loud music at Miami, though the charges were dropped.
"I think Bernie's matured a lot, and I think he's really on the right path at the moment," said Hewitt, adding that Tomic—currently ranked a career-high No. 18—is looking to climb further. "He has spoken to me a lot about trying to put a team in place that he can take that next step and try and get into the Top 10. Plus with Bernie he's played so well in Davis Cup, so I'm looking forward to sitting next to him on the sidelines and trying to get him to take that next step and actually beat the likes of Federer and Murray and these guys. They're the only guys he's lost to in Davis Cup."
Hewitt also recalled his first days on tour, when his fiery competitiveness rubbed opponents and some of the Australian public the wrong way. He would also like to instill some of that in his charges, who have been accused of giving less than their best in matches.
"When I came on I didn't always have the best image out there, either, so it's about dealing with that and learning from the mistakes," said Hewitt. "They do have a lot of talent out there but I still feel like there are a lot of areas where possibly some of my strengths, that made made me as good as I could be ... if some of those small things rub off into their game."
Kyrgios and Tomic are Australia's two highest-ranked players on the ATP tour.