On notice: Nick Kyrgios in the mix in Davis Cup. Photo: Pat Scala
Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter sees only upside in the selection of teenagers Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis for Australia's daunting first-round tie against France, believing the rewards will far outweigh the risk of a potentially confidence-sapping experience for the inexperienced young pair.
The talent-stacked French have chosen an indoor claycourt in a small stadium in La Roche-sur-Yon, in western France, for the tie starting on Friday week. The Australians will start as rank outsiders, and with two teenagers in their team for the first time since John Alexander and Phil Dent played in Mexico City in 1969. Before that, famously, it was Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall against the US at Kooyong in 1953.
But just as Rafter is predictably refusing to concede Australia's initial world group tie in his tenure is doomed, he also distinguished the selection of the emerging duo from past scenarios in which lowly ranked wildcards draw top seeds at grand slams, get thrashed on show courts and struggle to recover.
''That's a good point. But I don't see this situation being like that,'' Rafter said. ''I think these two boys believe they should be there and they want to be there. I think that's exciting. We're not throwing them into a situation where they're not happy about. I think our team, the whole team, is really confident … it will only help grow them and mature them and help them become better players. Davis Cup is a great platform for that for many. It's helped a lot of people, including myself. I don't see why this will be any different for these two boys.''
Kyrgios, 18, made his Davis Cup debut via a five-set doubles loss and a win in a dead singles rubber in the world group play-off against Poland last September, and will be joined by Kokkinakis, 17, Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione to play the French. Wildcard play-off winner Jordan Thompson, 19, will travel as a hitting partner and reserve. The singles selections are yet to be determined, and much will depend on practice form and specific match-ups, but Rafter said Hewitt was a certainty to contest the important doubles match. The French will be led by world No.9 Richard Gasquet and No.10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, with doubles star Michael Llodra a slightly surprising omission.
''Gasquet is ahead, so it will a little bit depend on that match-up, who wants to play who, who Lleyton wants to play, who we think the No.2 player should play. We're not there yet,'' Rafter said.
As to which of the Ks is ahead in the practice-form contest, Rafter said no decision was expected for a week, and much could happen in the meantime. ''They'll probably play off for a match as well to see who gets that spot. Maybe. If we can't tell them apart, we'll make them play off. But mentally I think they're both very capable.''
And Australia's prospects? ''We still believe we have a chance. These kids, they're pretty exceptional in many ways. There is an element of bleeding of them into the team as well, no doubt about that, and give them that exposure.
''How they deal with that, I think they'll deal with it really well. I think they're going to love the atmosphere and the occasion.
''You never know. Davis Cup has a tradition of throwing up some upsets. When you've got youth and energy on your side, you have passion, you always have a chance. On paper we're certainly losing, but I think we have a realistic chance of an upset.''
