Team play helps Kyrgios find his feet at top level

NICK Kyrgios is back in the Davis Cup environment that he clutched like a drowning man last year in careersettling ties in Melbourne and Brisbane after his turbulent Australian Open exit.

Kyrgios readily admits he was at a low ebb after his second-round 2017 Australian Open loss when sections of the Melbourne crowd booed him off court.

But he developed a fresh attachment to the Davis Cup team in a February 2017 tie at Kooyong for how his Australian teammates had his back, ties that grew stronger at the Brisbane win over the US and Australia’s semi-final loss in Belgium.

“After not doing so well at the Australian Open, it left a bad taste in the mouth, but I came back and played Davis Cup,’’ said Kyrgios, who plays German No.2 Jan-Lennard Struff, ranked No.58, in today’s second match of the tie at Pat Rafter Arena.

“It’s given me a lot of confidence and meant a lot.

“I had one eye on this when I played in Brisbane [when winning the Brisbane International last month].

“It’s one of my favourite weeks of the year, being around these blokes. This week I want to do everything I can to support the team.’’

Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt said the tennis Kyrgios played from February to April was as good as he managed all year, including two wins each over Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.

Zverev, ranked nine places above Kyrgios, is the likely opponent for him in the first of Sunday’s reverse singles.