Lleyton Hewitt, captain of the Culture Amp Australian Davis Cup Team, is delighted with the multiple positives among the tight-knit group.
Stockholm, Sweden, 1 February 2025 | Vivienne Christie
With Australia in a commanding position at the Davis Cup qualifier in Stockholm, Sweden, there are multiple positives for the tight-knit group.
Lleyton Hewitt, captain of the Culture Amp Australian Davis Cup team, is delighted with the camaraderie created in the team setting and believes a success-breeds-success culture translates to greater individual achievements for many players.
“A lot of these guys feed off each other and they see someone having a really good result and they understand that they’re not that far away from that particular player, so why can’t it be them,” said Hewitt.
“I think they help improve each other’s games and self-belief on where they can be in the tour.”
Aussies mean business! 💼
Alex De Minaur and Aleks Vukic kick off the 2025 #DavisCup in style.https://t.co/Dr4wjypHhP
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 31, 2025
With Alex de Minaur recording a 16th Davis Cup singles win over Sweden’s Mikael Ymer on Saturday, Hewitt was proud to point to the example provided by the Australian No.1.
“I think we’re fortunate to have a leader as Alex de Minaur,” he said. “A top-10 player that really cares about Australian tennis and the players coming through. He tries to help out as much as possible and it certainly makes my job a lot easier.”
De Minaur provided another boost as he navigated a competitive first set against a “very tough” Ymer before emerging with a 7-5 6-1 victory to give Australia a winning start in the team’s 2025 campaign.
A highlight for De Minaur was competing at the iconic Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm.
“There’s so much history and culture in this court. It’s very cool to see and be a part of,” said De Minaur. “These are very special moments for a player and you never take them for granted.”
Aleksandar Vukic is also soaking up every moment of his first experience representing Australia, bringing a long-held dream to life.
“It’s really cool to do it with just such a good group of people and doing it for your country makes it makes it even better,” Vukic related.
“I think Lleyton’s done a good job of setting the culture with Demon as the top male player. They really set an example, and I felt very welcomed from the moment I came in.”
“It’s a very, very big honour for me.”
After a breakthrough Aussie summer, Aleksandar Vukic becomes Australian #DavisCup player No.116 💚💛https://t.co/2DL63vHyGb
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It proved the perfect environment for a successful start in the competition, with Vukic recording a 6-4 6-4 victory over Leo Borg.
Vukic noted it was “always going to be tricky” to play his first match in Sweden so soon after the Australian Open.
“Representing your country [there are] different emotions and stuff but overall, I thought I handled it well and we’re very, very happy to just get another point for Australia,” he said.
Hewitt was thrilled with the way Vukic had embraced the opportunity to represent the nation as its 116th Davis Cup player.
“Aleksandar Vukic got his opportunity to wear the green and gold for the first time and he did himself, his family and everyone in Australia really proud,” he said.
“Playing an away tie, there’s always that pressure and expectation, especially in your first ever match and he handled it extremely well.”
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Attention now turns to Australia’s next Davis Cup assignment in Stockholm, with Matt Ebden and John Peers preparing to face Filip Bergevi and Andre Goranssoon in the opening match on day two.
While Hewitt hopes for a doubles victory that will ensure Australia’s progress to the Davis Cup 2nd Round Qualifiers in September, the team captain notes “we’ve still got to get the boys ready for the reverse singles [too].”
It’s an approach consistent with the overall qualities established in the team setting.
“I try and lead by example. Hard work, preparing as well as possible. Then trying to build a culture that we’re proud of in Australia,” Hewitt added.
“And any players that come into the Davis Cup fold, I would hope that they can become a better player because of it.”
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