Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

New Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt will waste no time in stamping his mark on the squad, calling a meeting this week to lay the groundwork for his 2016 debut season as skipper.

The pow-wow in Melbourne will comprise up to a dozen potential squad candidates, from the obvious ones like Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis Bernard Tomic and Sam Groth, along with other lesser lights. Hewitt, a Davis stalwart throughout his career, is hoping to take the team farther than the 2015 semi-final it lost to Britain two months ago.

Hewitt and his staff will put players through their paces to hopefully start a long-term selection process prior to the opening round next March. Hewitt, set to officially retire after his run at the Australian Open ends next January, is already drawing praise from the Aussie tennis community.

“Lleyton was carrying the sport for the past five, six, seven years,” said 22-times doubles grand slam winner Todd Woodbridge told Australian media.  “He was the key to Davis Cup team, he stayed out there to get it back in the World Group and achieved that.

“Now as a captain, he has a team that can win the Davis Cup again. In the next five years, I think it can do that. When Lleyton first got in, there was a group of players: Pat Rafter, himself, Mark Philippoussis and then Mark Woodforde and myself.

“That’s what tennis looks like again in Australia. He will be able to pass on so much information. In his role already, Lleyton is out there already talking to the guys.

“They’re going to be together, not just for Davis Cup but the Australian summer. He is already corralling that group around to try to teach and mentor them and do everything possible to give them the best chance and take a bit of pressure of them as well.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.