Team Australia is the host for this sparkling third edition of the United Cup but, for captain Lleyton Hewitt, Sydney truly feels like home.
He was born on the western edge of South Australia in Adelaide, and 18 years later won the first major professional event, the 2000 Sydney International, played on the eastward side.
“Makes me feel old, 25 years,” Hewitt jokingly said with the media on Friday. “No, it’s great. I love Ken Rosewall Arena, I think it’s a fantastic place to play. Big matches on, I think it’s a great atmosphere, especially now with the roof as well.
“Obviously we’re very fortunate to be the host nation here and hopefully get plenty of support like we have previous years.”
That shouldn’t be a problem. Last year, Australia thrilled the partisan crowds with a run to the semifinals before falling to Germany. This year’s campaign gets underway Saturday against Argentina — one of four United Cup ties on the schedule in Sydney and Perth.
Hewitt’s lineup: Olivia Gadecki and Alex de Minaur, as well as the doubles team of Ellen Perez and Matthew Ebden.
As it turns out, de Minaur’s favorite spot happens to be Sydney, too.
“It probably has to do with me growing up, training here at Homebush,” he said. “Watching at that stage the Apia International, the players playing on that court, and wishing to be able to compete on that court one day.
“It’s just playing at home, so that’s why it’s so special.”
A year ago, de Minaur’s performance at the United Cup (he defeated World No.1 Novak Djokovic) sent him into the Top 10 for the first time — making him the first Australian since Hewitt in 2006 to reach the Top 10 on PIF ATP Rankings.
While Australia won the 2016 Hopman Cup, it’s been a few years since taking that title in team competitions.
“We came bloody close in a lot of them — thanks for bringing it up,” Hewitt said to a reporter who raised the issue. “The biggest thing is we keep knocking on the door. I’ve been awfully proud of the teams I’ve captained the last nine or ten years now right across the board, but it’s not an easy thing to do.
“You look at some of these teams that end up winning these team competitions and they’ve got some pretty awesome players, some generational greats or legends of the game.”
Here’s a look at what’s on tap for Day 2 at the United Cup.
Sydney
Group D: France vs. Switzerland
Start time: (10:30 a.m. local, 6:30 p.m. ET)
[10] Chloe Paquet (FRA) vs [16] Belinda Bencic (SUI)
[10] Ugo Humbert (FRA) vs [16] Dominic Stricker (SUI)
[10] Leolia Jeanjean (FRA) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs [16] Belinda Bencic (SUI) / Dominic Stricker (SUI)
Bencic, the Olympic singles gold medalist, is by far the most decorated player in action here. She’s also the biggest question mark after giving birth eight months ago.
“I’m definitely improving every day,” Bencic told reporters. “I think my tennis is there. I think that’s like riding a bike. I don’t think that you lose that.”
But can she play the four-plus sets that might be required for both singles and doubles?
“That’s for sure a test,” she said. “I feel definitely over 75, 80 percent. I feel like I can compete and beat a lot of players.”
Life apparently begins at 30 for Paquet, who broke into the Top 100 for the first time last summer, in large part due to her third-round performance at Roland Garros — another personal best. She and Bencic have never played.
Humbert beat Stricker in their only meeting, the 2023 Basel quarterfinals.
Group F: Australia vs. Argentina
Start time: (5:30 p.m. local, 1:30 a.m. ET)
[12] Olivia Gadecki (AUS) vs [17] Nadia Podoroska (ARG)
[12] Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs [17] Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)
[12] Ellen Perez (AUS) / Matthew Ebden (AUS) vs [17] Nadia Podoroska (ARG) / Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)
Clearly, Australia has the homefield advantage. But the brief history suggests Argentina might be the favorite. Both Podoroska and Etcheverry hold 1-0 head-to-head records against their Aussie opponents.
Gadecki fell to Podoroska in the first round of qualifying at Indian Wells earlier this year, but the 22-year-old is a different player, moving into the Top 100 by the end of the season.
“I’ve had a great year and I’m really going to try and take that momentum,” Gadecki said. “She’s a tough player, and it’s going to take quite a bit to beat her. I think I’ve got the game and the ability.”
Perth
Group A: Canada vs. Croatia
Start time: (10 a.m. local, 9 p.m. ET)
[7] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) vs [18] Donna Vekic (CRO)
[7] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [18] Borna Coric (CRO)
[7] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) / Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [18] Donna Vekic (CRO) / Ivan Dodig (CRO)
This is a quality matchup, featuring four singles players who have all achieved the Top 20.
Auger-Aliassime is pulling double duty since he’s also Canada’s captain. Will he be making the calls on who plays mixed doubles?
“I think it’s going to be a team decision,” he said. “I think we’re all going to talk to each other, communicate, and see who is feeling good to play.”
Coric, for one, should be feeling good, liking his chances against Auger-Aliassime. They’ve met three times — all in Masters 1000s — and the 28-year-old Croatian has won the past two.
Fernandez reached the finals of the 2021 US Open, and Vekic was the Olympic silver singles medalist earlier this year in Paris, beating Coco Gauff on her way to the podium. They have never played.
Group C: Greece vs. Spain
Start time: (5 p.m. local, 4 p.m. ET)
[3] Maria Sakkari (GRE) vs [14] Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (ESP)
[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [14] Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
[3] Maria Sakkari (GRE) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [14] Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers (ESP) / Sergio Martos Gornes (ESP)
Tough turnaround for Spain, which dropped its opener on Friday, 2-1, to Kazakhstan. Carreno Busta won his singles match over Alexander Shevchenko but, teamed with Cavalle-Reimers, fell in mixed doubles to Elena Rybakina and Shevchenko.
Now Carreno Busta faces the task of trying to defeat Tsitsipas, a man he’s lost to all three times they’ve played.
“Well, for him will be his first match of the season,” the Spaniard said optimistically. “Is always difficult to play the first match. Maybe this is an advantage for me.”
Sakkari and Bouzas Maneiro have never played.
But can they handle the pressure of playing on home soil? Will the cheers of the crowd propel them to victory, or will the weight of expectations prove too much to bear?
Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain – the Australian players will be giving it their all to make their country proud. Let’s see if they can rise to the occasion and deliver in front of a home crowd.
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