AUSTRALIA will look to put its disappointing Davis Cup behind it and front up with a stronger ATP Cup squad. With a red-hot inclusion and an actual specialist doubles combination, the green and gold have a better rounded squad than the Davis Cup, but face a far tougher draw in this team tournament.
2022 AUSTRALIA TEAM
Alex de Minaur
James Duckworth
Max Purcell
John Peers
Luke Saville
Australian tennis fans will be relieved to see Duckworth earning his spot as the second singles player for the ATP Cup after being a stunning omission for the Davis Cup. Piecing together a great second half of the season, Duckworth finished 2021 inside the Top 50, behind only de Minaur in the men’s singles. The soon-to-be 30-year-old had wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Jannik Sinner in the second half of last year, the latter of whom he will face in this tournament’s group stage.
On the other hand, de Minaur has not had the greatest form, and will look to turn it around back on home soil, though he faces stiff opposition from world number two Daniil Medvedev, fellow Grand Slam winner Dominic Thiem and a determined Roland Garros runner-up Matteo Berrettini who returns from injury. Duckworth may well be the key for Australia, with the doubles pairing fairly strong, and will pick up a win over Austria at the very least.
Both Russia and Italy look too stacked to overcome, but if Duckworth can knock off Sinner, and catch Andrey Rublev on a bad day, then anything is possible. Overall, it looks like Russia will escape the group and back up their Davis Cup win, but the green and gold have the home soil advantage and will have had more time to prepare on the courts. Add in the home crowd support, and anything is possible.
Prediction: 3rd in Group B
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