Teenage star Nick Kyrgios hopes to spearhead an era of Davis Cup success, declaring that fierce individual rivalry will drive Australia to recapture its golden period of success.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kyrgios and veteran Lleyton Hewitt will take charge of Australia's tie against Uzbekistan in Perth from Friday as the team aims to keep its place in the world group.
But team captain Pat Rafter has warned his talented youngsters to be patient as they endure a "three-year journey" to becoming a "very good team".
There are six Australians in the world's top 100, led by Hewitt (49), Kyrgios (53) and the injured Bernard Tomic (63).
On top of that Thanasi Kokkinakis is rated as a future star and 17-year-old Omar Jasika won the boys singles and doubles titles at the US Open last week.
Canberra's Kyrgios burst in to the senior ranks with an outstanding debut professional season which has seen him rise almost 800 places in the world rankings in less than two years.
"We haven't had six guys in the top 100 in a long, long time. I think we've got a strong team and it's going to be really fun," Kyrgios said.
"I don't know if it's internal competition of who's doing better. But seeing other guys go well is definitely motivation for guys to push each other at training and at tournaments.
"We're a pretty tight-knit group and keep each other company. The locker room atmosphere is great and I think that's what's going to help us go forward again.
"There's a different feel to Davis Cup. It's in your back yard and that adds extra motivation to it and the guys we've got coming through is only going to help Australian tennis."
Kyrgios will kick off the weekend of matches when he plays former world No. 33 Denis Istomin.
Australian needs to beat Uzbekistan to retain its spot in the elite 16-country world group and stay in contention for a title next year.
If they lose, they will be relegated to the Asia-Oceania zone.
Australia won Davis Cup titles in 1999 and 2003 as well as being runners-up in 2000 and 2001.
The team was oozing talent with Rafter, Mark Philippoussis and Hewitt as singles champions and Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde as doubles experts.
But Australian tennis has struggled to recapture is glory years, fighting to keep a spot in the world group and stay in the hunt for the title.
The country's best juniors have promised to succeed in recent years. Kyrgios and Tomic are former junior boys world No. 1s and 18-year-old Kokkinakis is ranked No. 181.
"We have options and that's what is great right now," Rafter said.
"Lleyton will continue to be one of our dominant players ... but this team is on a three-year journey to being a very, very good team.
"There's Nick, Bernard and Thanasi, Sam Groth and [Chris] Guccioni all coming through and all learning.
"We can have a really good team in a few years' time ... the guys can play doubles as well. [Kyrgios and Kokkinakis] aren't there yet against the big boys, but with every match they learn and get better and better."
Australia has the best record in the world of producing junior boys champions, winning seven grand slam singles titles in the past 10 years.
