Lleyton Hewitt has cast serious doubt on whether Bernard Tomic will ever represent Australia in Davis Cup again, following controversial comments made by the 25-year-old on reality television. Speaking ahead of Australia's first-round tie against Germany in Brisbane, Hewitt said Tomic's remarks had alienated him from the team.
Tomic, who appeared on the show 'I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!', claimed Australia could not win the Davis Cup without him and that Hewitt knew it. Hewitt, a former world number one, responded bluntly: 'It's highly doubtful. He's made some mistakes. It will be a long way back. He's digging a big hole for himself that he may never get out of.'
The two-time grand slam champion also questioned Tomic's commitment to tennis, noting that his stint on reality TV indicated a lack of focus. 'It's strange. You either want to be a tennis player or you don't,' Hewitt said. 'He's wasting not only his time but also everyone around him.'
Despite Tomic's claims, Hewitt expressed full confidence in the current Australian squad led by Nick Kyrgios, who joins the team on Tuesday. The team camaraderie, Hewitt said, is 'as good as I have seen for a long time', and he backed the players to succeed without Tomic.
Australia lead Germany 4-3 in their head-to-head Davis Cup history, but Germany won the most recent encounter, a 2012 World Group play-off in Hamburg, 3-2. The draw for the tie at Pat Rafter Arena takes place on Thursday, with the matches beginning on Friday.
