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8/21/08 9:00 PM | Johan Lindahl
Australian Davis Cup teammates will struggle to carry on as Lleyton Hewitt recovers after finally submitting to the hip surgery which could revitalise his career.
But with the former No. 1 out in a best-case scenario until January's Australian Open, the nation's Davis Cup relegation date next September 19-21 against Chile could be looking dicey for the team.
“I'm shattered that I can’t lead the Australian Davis Cup team in Chile in our bid to rejoin the World Group”, said Hewitt. “I open that the boys can still come through with a great win”.
The away tie in South American will be a tough ask for the fading tennis power.
Patchy Chris Guccione, a first-round loser in five of his last six tournaments, will be the lone Aussie man straight into the US Open. He will also be the point man for a depleted Davis team.
The big man holds three singles wins this season in the worldwide team competition against minimal opponents Taiwan and Thailand. Chile will definitely be a step up in quality, with Olympic silver medallist Fernando Gonzalez leading the home stand on clay.
It's going to be a tough decision for captain John Fitzgerald and coach Darren Cahill. “My heart goes out to Lleyton, I know how much he loves to play for his country and how badly he wants us to win our way back into the World Group”, said Fitzy.
”He's the best performed Davis Cup player in our history, so they are big shoes to fill. We hope he makes a speedy recovery and he'll be playing by the Australian summer. With Lleyton out it is an opportunity for someone else to step up“.
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