Tennis big guns to play Davis Cup finals

So much for tennis’s big guns boycotting the revamped Davis Cup.

Most of the sport’s heavyweights, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and a formidable Australian line-up led by Alex de Minaur and the returning Nick Kyrgios, will be in Madrid from November 18-24 for the inaugural 18-team finals.

Kyrgios is back on board after Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt named his strongest possible team on Tuesday.

The dual grand slam quarter-finalist will make his first Cup appearance since February last year, alongside de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, John Millman and doubles specialist John Peers.

Kyrgios is currently serving a six-month probation period for his spectacular meltdown in Cincinnati in August and his subsequent branding of the ATP as “pretty corrupt” during the US Open.

But his suspended sentence only applies to the ATP Tour and not Davis Cup.

“We’re fielding one of the strongest Davis Cup teams in recent years,” Hewitt said.

And they will need to in order to compete for a first trophy since Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis, Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs last won the Cup for Australia in 2003.

It had been expected many of the game’s biggest names would skip the new-look competition after an overhaul brought an end to the century-old tradition of home-and-away ties.

But world No.6 Alexander Zverev and the eighth-ranked Kei Nishikori are the only eligible members of the top 15 not heading to Spain.

Roger Federer will also be absent after Switzerland lost their playoff to Russia, while French world No.19 Lucas Pouille will also be a no-show after vowing never to play Davis Cup again following the radical changes to the format.

Djokovic, Nadal and US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev will headline the action during the new six-group, six-day, best-of-three rubber ties in Madrid.

Australia have been pitted in Group D alongside fourth seeds Belgium and Colombia and will face either the USA, Italy or Canada if they top the pool and qualify for the quarter-finals.

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