Alex de Minaur will have the chance to avenge his US Open quarter-final defeat to Jack Draper after Australia were drawn against Great Britain in Sydney in the United Cup.
The draw for the third edition of the season-opening tournament, across Sydney and Perth in January, was held in Sydney on Monday.
Lleyton Hewitt, who captained Australia to the semi-finals at last year’s tournament, jokingly called the latest instalment of the old tennis rivalry a “family matter” – a description given credence by the fact the tie will pit de Minaur against his British partner Katie Boulter for the second straight year.
A rollercoaster 2024 season saw De Minaur break into the top 10 for the first time, but a hip injury at Wimbledon forced him to withdraw just hours before his quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic, while his run at Flushing Meadows was ended by Draper in the last eight after the injury flared up again.
While the third team in Australia’s group will not be known until combined end-of-season rankings are released in late November, Hewitt said the pairing of Australia and Great Britain would provide a blockbuster for the Sydney crowd while also giving De Minaur a tough test before the Australian Open.
“The one team that we know we’re playing against [Great Britain], he [de Minaur] gets a great match as well,” Hewitt said. “If you’re thinking about the preparation for the Australian Open, playing Jack Draper, it’s going to be really tough.”
The 2024-25 United Cup draw.Credit: United Cup
Hewitt made an optimistic assessment of de Minaur’s recovery and also his chances in January’s Australian Open, insisting his home grand slam was “absolutely” his best shot at winning a major title.
“He’s really just trying to get back in the groove of that match practice,” Hewitt said. “He’s been training hard, but he’s got to get confidence back in the body and what he’s able to do.
“He’s been able to obviously build a little more strength as well, so he’s got a bit more firepower, but we know how well he moves around the court … All signs are leading in the right way.”
De Minaur impressed in ties against big guns Djokovic and Taylor Fritz during last year’s United Cup, with the strong showing providing a springboard for the Australian No.1 to enjoy the best season of his career to date.
“I’m very excited to play [this year], it’s going to be a lot of fun,” de Minaur said. “I had some good memories this year, that’s where I cracked the Top 10 for the very first time. Any chance you get to represent Australia is always a lot of fun.”
Australian captain Hewitt joked that de Minaur would be filthy at facing a British team set to include both Draper and girlfriend Boulter.
“You’re in trouble, you’re in so much trouble,” Hewitt grinned to Casey Dellacqua after she drew Great Britain into Group F.
“We had to play against Katie last year, and I think that was the one and only time I was prepared to do it,” Hewitt said. “Looking ahead, I’ve just got to focus obviously on Katie and Jack, do my research on Katie, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll try and come up with a bit of a game plan,” Hewitt said.
De Minaur will be joined in the Australian side by Omar Jasika, Olivia Gadecki and Destanee Aiava, plus Olympic doubles gold medallists Matt Ebden and Ellen Perez.
The tournament will kick off in Perth from December 27. The top six countries will later battle it out in the semis and final, hosted in Sydney on the 4th and 5th of January.
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