Rusty Returns
So much for Lleyton Hewitt’s retirement; it lasted all of a month. With Nick Kyrgios unable to play due to a back injury, Hewitt, Australia’s captain, has made himself available to play against the U.S. this weekend in Melbourne. Rusty isn’t in the lineup yet; for now Sam Groth and Bernard Tomic are listed to play singles, and Groth and John Peers are scheduled for doubles. But that could easily change, considering the big-serving Groth opens against the almost-as-big-serving John Isner in a match that might take half a day to finish. (Davis Cup's new fifth-set tiebreaker came just in time.) With Groth also scheduled for the potential deciding rubber versus Jack Sock, it may make sense for Hewitt to send himself in against the Bryan brothers in doubles. Even without Hewitt, this tie between the two all-time Cup-winning teams should be fun: It’s on grass at the Kooyong Club, the former site of the Australian Open, and will pit Tomic versus Isner and Sock. (For U.S. fans, the tie will begin Thursday evening on the Tennis Channel.)
L’Equipe de Rêve
According to Google Translate, the above phrase is how you say “dream team” in French. The country, which last won the Davis Cup in 2001, appears to be fielding one for its first-round home tie against Canada. Captain Yannick Noah will bring No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 10 Richard Gasquet, No. 17 Gael Monfils and No. 19 Gilles Simon with him to Guadeloupe. It may be hard to find a first-class doubles team among those four, but on paper—and on this tie’s surface, red clay—it makes for a formidable singles lineup against anyone, especially a Canadian team that will be without its No. 1, Milos Raonic, who is recovering from an adductor injury.