The lack of depth in Australian tennis will be put to the test in the opening round of next year’s Davis Cup teams competition in Switzerland.
The Australians, 28-time winners of the tournament, have fallen on hard times with only journeyman Wayne Arthurs (97) ranked inside the top-100 to support world number five Lleyton Hewitt.
Former United States Open and Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis’ career is in free-fall and he is currently ranked at 203.
World number one Roger Federer has still to commit to play in his country’s campaign next year, but Australian captain John Fitzgerald will prepare his team expecting Federer to play in the February 10-12 tie.
”Switzerland away is certainly one of the tougher draws we could have got, but were looking forward to the challenge,” Fitzgerald said in a Tennis Australia statement following Thursday’s draw in Paris.
”Its standard practice for us to assume that our opponents will have their best players available to play in any tie were involved in, and we will plan and prepare accordingly.”
Federer has won 14 of his last 15 Davis Cup singles matches. His only loss in that time was in the 2003 semifinal against Australia at Melbourne Park when Lleyton Hewitt came back from two sets down to win 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-1.
Since then Federer has won his last nine matches against Hewitt. Australia crashed out 4-1 to Argentina on their favoured grass playing surface in Sydney last July with Hewitt winning the host’s only rubber.
When Australia last played in Switzerland in the World Group first round in 2000, the team of Hewitt, Philippoussis, Sandon Stolle and Arthurs defeated Federer, George Bastl, Michel Kratochvil and Lorenzo Manta 3-2. – AFP
