Kyrgios, who fell to Novak Djokovic in an engrossing Wimbledon final on Sunday, was asked by Hewitt to join the Australian squad for the men's team competition earlier this year, but he declined.

"We'd absolutely love to have him playing for us," Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon winner who'll be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, said.

"We're a much stronger side if he's available and can play for us. And he's an option for singles and doubles matches, which is important in this format."

Kyrgios, who last played Davis Cup tennis in November 2019, and his pal Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Australian Open doubles title in January.

"To have that kind of weapon at your disposal, we'd certainly want him to be part of that if possible," Hewitt said.

Kyrgios's thundering serve, his superb shot-making and hot temper have combined to make him one of the sport's most captivating players.

"Deep down, he's still pretty disappointed to come so close but not win," Hewitt revealed.

"But as I told him, he should be extremely proud of the performances over the last two weeks and throughout the whole grass-court season.

"Everyone knows the kind of firepower and game style that he has and what he's capable of doing. He just has to go out there and keep believing in himself."

Hewitt, captain when Kyrgios was on the Davis Cup team three years ago, said that the combustible star probably doesn't need a full-time coach.

But would Hewitt ever consider taking on the challenge of coaching Kyrgios, who berated his box from the court during the final?

"Well I can't do it at the moment anyway because I'm Davis Cup captain, so the decision is easy right now," he said with a laugh.

Hewitt, who was at Wimbledon casting his eye over the Australian players, has flown to the US where he can now add being a Hall of Famer to his impressive resume when he is formally inducted this weekend in Newport, Rhode Island.

"It's a huge honour," he said.

"It was always something that I thought was a place for all the idols that I looked up to, not something that I ever thought I'd be inducted into."

Australian Associated Press