	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATP CUP

January 2, 2020

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

TEAM AUSTRALIA

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement and then take questions.

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, thanks, guys. No. 1, Alex De Minaur. No. 2, Nick Kyrgios. We have John Millman, Chris Guccione and John Peers.

(Applause.)

LLEYTON HEWITT: I got that right, so, it's a good start.

Q. Alex, I just want to start with you. I think a couple years ago when you guys lost in your Davis Cup tie to Germany you were ranked 130th in the world. Feels like this is a completely different Alex de Minaur, would you agree, since then?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Obviously, there's a couple years' more experience. I've had a couple good years on tour and I'm very happy with where I am right now, so I know it's going to be an incredibly tough match, but I'm really looking forward to it. I think I've put in a lot of hard work through the pre-season and I feel ready for a new year.

Q. Nick, just start on that tweet last night about helping out with bush fires, etcetera. It's got a really positive reaction. Have you heard anything back from Tennis Australia and can you expand a bit on sort of what you sort of envision it could be like?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, they tweeted back pretty quickly. I saw a Twitter this morning saying that they're more interested in doing something. I just think that the ATP Cup and all the heartbreak this summer, it's pretty tragic what's going on, especially with my hometown, Canberra, being under a bit of smoke, the most hazardous smoke in the world at the moment. It's obviously sad for everything that's going on. But I'm sure that all these guys will be happy to help. I saw John and -- both Johns here retweeted -- so the more exposure it gets I think we have the potential to do something pretty special there. But our focus, obviously, is tomorrow. We've got a massive match as well. But all the families and all affected are, obviously, in our thoughts, so.

Q. Lleyton, would you like to help out, take part in something like that? Do you think it would be a really good thing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. It's been a pretty tough time for a lot of the major states of our country, and especially this time of the year when everything is, leading into Christmas and the new year should be a happy time for these families. And a lots of these people are doing it pretty tough out there. So I think all of us feel like we would like to help in some way. Tennis and especially Tennis Australia, I think in the past have always made an effort to try and put things together, and we have got a massive platform. It's probably the biggest sporting event in Australia, the Australian Open coming up in an a week's time, a couple of week's time. So if they can organize something quick enough I'm sure they will try and do absolutely everything they can.

Q. Nick, this is your first time playing since you said you would be on your best behavior probation. I'm curious if that's at all in the back of your mind when you're on court the next few months?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I mean, I've been seeing a psychologist, so...

Q. Oh, yeah?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I'm not thinking about it at all. I know when I'm in a team environment I'm not worried at all. It's more so when I'm just traveling and it's been a couple of weeks in a row where things can get a little out of hand. But I'm not thinking about it. I'm always going to go out there and play with emotion and if I do happen to cross the line, I cross the line. That's just how it is. But I feel good. I'm just ready to go tomorrow and that's it.

Q. Lleyton, I think you guys have landed in probably the toughest group of the six. I'm curious how you size up each of the other three teams.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, bloody tough. We get no easy matches and, yeah, it's great preparation for these guys a couple weeks out from the Australian Open, to come here. All these guys love playing on Pat Rafter Arena as well. So we were thrilled that we got pulled out to play here in Brisbane. I have full confidence in these guys. If they go out there and execute how they have been playing, I fully back them in any of these matches, but we're still going to have to go out there and play really well. And it's a tough run because even a couple of the second place teams gets through, so every single match is so important, singles and doubles and no matter what the score line is in any particular rubber, so we're well aware of that.

Q. Quickly back to the fires that a lot of people in Australia are going through. Nick, I know you did tweet and I think there's been more than a million responses to your idea. Have you heard anything concrete about any kind of fundraiser or any charity work that might go ahead?
NICK KYRGIOS: I haven't heard that much. I trained this morning and I'm sure, you know, Tennis Australia, obviously, has been pretty proactive about it. They tweeted back, so I'm sure something will happen. I'm sure all of us will be involved in some way, so...

Q. And have a lot of the other international players been bringing that up with you? It seems like something that everyone's just shocked by.
NICK KYRGIOS: I haven't ran into one international player that knows about it.

Q. And you mentioned, obviously, Canberra is your home, hometown, really. How hard does that hit when you see it being affected like that and seeing all the other states as well?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, it's tough. There's no rain predicted there for the next four months, so it doesn't look like the fires are going to slow down anytime soon, which is pretty sad. So, yeah, to see Canberra be like that, it's pretty tough to see.

Q. And you've mentioned crossing the line in the past and having this kind of bad boy reputation in some people's minds. Do you think people might have been surprised to see you really pushing that, I guess, charitable kind of stance this morning?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not really. I've been doing stuff like that for the last three, four years. You guys just choose to say what you want noticed. So I'm just going to keep doing whatever I want to do and you can keep publishing what you want to publish.

Q. And would you do something individually if Tennis Australia doesn't, I guess, organize something larger?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, probably. You can share the boom box there if you want.

Q. John, you don't get the chance to play here in your own backyard very often. You must be excited to be back here at home?
JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, obviously, I love being in Brisbane. As it stands I probably won't play, but I'll support as best as I can because I love being in a team environment and just try to help out the boys in the best way possible.

ALEX DE MINAUR: Just drink it in.

Q. Are you pretty set on having your 1 and 2 fixed through the whole round robin in Alex and Nick?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, that's how -- it doesn't come down to choice, it's off ranking. So the 1 and 2, unless there's a medical issue, the No. 1 and 2 seed play singles. So unless something, you know, where someone's sick or injured before a match, that's how it is. There's ranking points involved in this, so you have to play to the honor, obviously. But we can mix up the doubles as well and just see how the guys respond. Tomorrow's going to be exciting for us. It's our first time playing in this format and a great opportunity. But I still wish I was playing because to play these competitions -- and we're fortunate we're the country that gets to play in our backyard, there's something pretty special about that. And it's going to be a great atmosphere for the boys and, yeah, we're pumped.

Q. So you're not playing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Playing?

Q. You're not playing, then.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Me?

Q. Yeah.
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm the captain, in case you didn't know.

Q. Nick, you talked -- obviously, you've had great success at team events. What is it specifically? Have you pinpointed kind of what it is that helps you play so well and enjoy it so much out here?
NICK KYRGIOS: No, I don't know. Growing up I loved basketball, so the whole team environment. I think the thing with tennis is you're on the road so often and on your own, you get a bit lonely and I just like coming together with these boys. I think it's a lot of fun, our practice sessions. I don't know. I just, I think the banter and atmosphere is a lot better. Personally for me, I thrive on seeing younger guys like Alex do well -- any of these guys -- but seeing his progression the last couple years has been awesome. As that bloke said over there, he went from 130 to now he's 18 in the world, which is pretty special. And he's only going to get better as long as he has Lleyton around, not me. No, no, it's just, it's good. I don't know. I like the team. It's good.

Q. Alex, obviously, you had such a great year last year. I think I read where you maybe had two days off in the off-season. Is that true and how are you feeling coming into this year?
ALEX DE MINAUR: No, I had probably about a week and a half of, say, holidays, and then we came over here to Oz and started the pre-season. And, I mean, it was a real big focus because we had such an unbelievable year last year, so we wanted to make sure to be in the best possible position to try and come out and do it all again, especially knowing that coming up here my first three matches are against such high-level opponents, so I've got to be ready.

Q. John, you were saying before that you probably won't play this week. How tough is that knowing that there's points on offer and that you don't get to prep for the Oz Open?
JOHN MILLMAN: No, just, I'll make the best out of the situation. I get some really good training in an environment that I love to be playing in. I love to be working out here in Brisbane. We don't get to do that too often. For myself, the only other option was to go to Doha to start the season and for me it's not really much of an option, just the travel and then to come back before the Australian Open, I thought that that's not ideal. So I get to be in and amongst a really good team environment. I get to tap into not just Nick and Alex and Gucc and Peers, but also Lleyton and the staff that they have there. So for me if I don't play, I'm going to use it as an extra week to train and catch up and give myself, hopefully, as good a preparation as possible going into the Aussie.

Q. Lleyton, I'm curious, have you guys discussed how on-court coaching would work? I know there's the option of a player-coach as well, and what do you think that will add to this event?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it adds another dynamic to it. I get, especially Alex's personal coach, Adolfo, I get along extremely well. He speaks better English than I speak Spanish so we try and get by. But, no, we understand each other's roles as well and he's a great guy, so I'm sure that he will be out there and helping us as much as possible. It's another great initiative to the ATP Cup, I think. And then for a guy like Alex who is with Adolfo every week of the year, I think it's a perfect springboard for the Australian summer, for him to have someone around him that's always there in his corner as well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

ATP CUP

January 2, 2020

Lleyton Hewitt

Chris Guccione

John Peers

John Millman

Alex De Minaur

Nick Kyrgios