Alicia Molik is adamant Australia is nearing the end of its Fed Cup drought, declaring "we should be winning this competition over the next couple of years".
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The Australian team arrived in Canberra and practised on bowling greens ahead of the Fed Cup tie against the Ukraine, which will be played on grass at the National Tennis Centre beginning on Saturday.
World No. 16 Ash Barty and No. 25 Daria Gavrilova, doubles specialist Casey Dellacqua and 17-year-old rising star Destanee Aiava have been handed the role of breaking Australia's drought.
Australia hasn't made the Fed Cup final since 1994, but boasts three women inside the world's top 39 in Barty, Gavrilova and Sam Stosur, who has withdrawn to focus on her singles career.
Barty and Gavrilova will shoulder the singles workload, while Aiava has been added to the group to get a taste of what's to come in her career.
Ukraine prevented Australia from reaching the World Group a year ago, and this tie's victor will play off against one of the World Group's four first round losers for a place in the final eight.
"We have to win this, we want to be back in the top eight nations in the world and if we win this it will give us a chance to get back there," Molik said.
"If you look at the calibre of players that we have, Ash and Dash both around 20 in the world, we deserve to be in the top eight nations in the world, there's no question about that.
"We should be winning this competition over the next couple of years, we're good enough to."
Fifteen-year-old Marta Kostyuk is set to make her Fed Cup debut alongside Lyudmyla Kichenko, Nadiia Kichenok and Daria Lopatetska in the Ukrainian team.
Ukraine will be without world No. 3 and Australian Open quarter-finalist Elina Svitolina, but that hasn't had an influence on Australia's preparations.
"My hope and dream was they would be able to field their best team and that's why we chose grass too, because we thought we could genuinely beat them on grass if they fielded their strongest players," Molik said.
"That's a choice she's made but I'm very thankful and grateful that we've got players that love playing for their country.
"Fed Cup only happens a couple of times a year, maybe two weeks, if you reach finals, three weeks a year.
"Our players in the Fed Cup team really value those weeks playing in a team, for a team, and being together, because it's a long year on the road travelling by yourself.
"I think they've really grown to love it and are the first to put their hands up to play."
Australia's first home tie in almost two years marks the first time Canberra has hosted a Fed Cup tie since a teenage Jelena Dokic spearheaded a victory against Argentina on indoor carpet at the AIS Arena in 1998.
Now Stosur's withdrawal has paved the way for another teenager to get a feel for the Fed Cup arena in emerging star Aiava.
"She's got a powerful game and more than matches it with everyone in the team," Molik said.
"I think this is a great opportunity for her too, just being around really mature players, friends and characters. It's not just the experience on court, but off court that will help her really grow and develop on the court.
"She's great to have around too and it's wonderful again to have such a young player in the team. Youth is important and I think competition is important between them, because it's important for Dash and Ash to really be pushed as well."
FED CUP
February 10-11: Australia v Ukraine at the Canberra Tennis Centre. Tickets from Ticketek. Two-day ticket packages are $80 for adults, $63 for concession card holders, $25 for children and $186 for a family pass.
