image.Wally Masur
Australian Davis Cup captain Wally Masur has said Nick Kyrgios is the team’s “spearhead” and not a potential problem heading into their clash against Kazakhstan this weekend.
When Kyrgios was asked at a press conference this afternoon if he was a potential liability heading into the clash, Masur jumped in ahead of the 20-year-old and described the London “tanking” controversy as “unfortunate”.
“Nick a liability for Davis Cup? Absolutely not,” Masur said.
“He’s here, he’s got the green and gold on, he’s one hell of a tennis player — that doesn’t make him a liability for the Davis Cup, it actually makes him a spearhead for the Davis Cup.”
Kyrgios came under fire for his patchy performance during his fourth round loss at Wimbledon to Frenchman Richard Gasquet, in which he was accused of “tanking”.
image Nick Kyrgios
The Aussie wild child was accused of surrendering a game to Gasquet early in the second set when he appeared to refuse to return the Frenchman’s serve after being issued with a code violation for swearing.
The Aussie wild child was accused of surrendering a game to Gasquet early in the second set when he appeared to refuse to return the Frenchman’s serve after being issued with a code violation for swearing.
Masur said discussion of Kyrgios’ on-court antics was “disrespectful” to the Kazakh team because “they’re a serious team in the world group”.
Davis Cup veteran Lleyton Hewitt — who himself has been at the centre of many controversies in his career — said he saw himself playing a big brother role within the team.
“Everyone wants to be here and compete, and we know how to go out there and get the job done,” he said.
“All the boys have played so well throughout the year already so it’s more just being a mentor … kind of like an older brother.
“If they have any small issues leading into the tie I can help them with or (to) handle the situation better … I’m a sounding board I guess and it’s good that I have that trust and relationship with the younger guys — they can come and speak to me if need be.”
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