Nick Kyrgios Forced To Extend His Five-Year Wait For Davis Cup Return
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Nick Kyrgios won't return to the Australian Davis Cup team after an injury setback prevented him from making a long-awaited comeback.
Because of injury struggles but also because of other reasons, Kyrgios hasn't played for Australia's Davis Cup team since 2019. His last match was against Belgium's Steve Darcis. The Australian won that match 6-2, 7-6(9).
Overall, Kyrgios has also been one of the more successful Australians in the national jersey. He won 11 out of 16 singles matches he played for the country, and since 2016, he lost only twice.
That's also one of the reasons why Australia's Team Captain, Lleyton Hewitt, was excited to announce that Kyrgios would return to the Davis Cup team.
However, already during the 29-year-old's injury struggles at the 2025 Australian Open, it became obvious that Kyrgios might not compete in Australia's tie against Sweden.
His withdrawal became a reality shortly before the tie, which is played at the Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. Hewitt was sad to announce Kyrgios' withdrawal, but he understood why the 2022 Wimbledon finalist couldn't commit to competing.
"I was excited to think of the potential for him to be back in the Davis Cup team, but it wasn’t to be, and obviously, he’s very underdone with his body, so it’s not surprising he’s got an injury trying to play five-set tennis straight away without many matches."
Hewitt also hinted at Kyrgios' potential future involvement in the Davis Cup. If Australia wins their tie against Sweden, they will advance to the second round of the qualifiers.
"Hopefully, fingers crossed, we get through and he may be an option down the track."
The second round of the qualifying rounds will be played between September 12th and 14th. Should Australia succeed in the first round, they would take on the winner of the tie between Chile and Belgium.
If the Australian team wins also the second qualifying round, they will qualify for the 2025 Davis Cup Final 8. The knock-out stage will be played in Bologna, Italy, from November 18th to 23rd.
Although Kyrgios' withdrawal certainly disappointed him and his fans, there was at least one man who was likely delighted by the news. That wasn't because of the 29-year-old's misfortune but because he was the player selected as a replacement for the 2022 Australian Open doubles champion.
Aleksandar Vukic was nominated to represent Australia. It was a debut nomination for the 28-year-old player. Representing their country at the Davis Cup means a lot to the Australians, which is why there's usually a special ceremony held for debutants.
Vukic received his team jacket from the legendary Ken Rosewall, and he joked with the former player about often playing on the court named after him.
"Yeah pretty surreal, wasn’t expecting it. For him to be there, especially someone else from Sydney as well, I was telling him I play on his court a lot! It’s very nice to have met him and for him to have presented that to me."
