Hewitt: Tomic unlikely to play for Australia again

Jan 31, 2018 06:00 am

Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said yesterday it is "highly doubtful" Bernard Tomic would play for Australia again, after the troubled tennis star this week declared the team could not win the event without him.

Speaking ahead of their World Group first-round tie against Germany in Brisbane at the weekend, Hewitt said Australia were in good stead with their current team - including Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson and up-and-comer Alex de Minaur - which doesn't feature Tomic.

"It's highly doubtful," Hewitt said when asked about the chance of a Tomic return. "With the team camaraderie we have at the moment, it is as good as I've been a part of in a long time...

"We fully believe that the players we have here, we can go a long way."

Tomic created a stir this week in an interview when he declared Australia could not win the Davis Cup without him. "I love Davis Cup to bits, it's not that I don't want to play," he told Channel 10 on Monday.

But the 25-year-old said he had problems with governing body Tennis Australia. "I know the only way for Australia to win Davis Cup is for me and Nick (Kyrgios) playing," he added.- AFP