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Nick Kyrgios is a shock recall to the Australian Davis Cup squad and teammate Alex de Minaur hopes his compatriot will be fit enough to play.
Alex de Minaur has welcomed Nick Kyrgios back into the Davis Cup fold and says his teammate's penchant for headlines is no drama.
Kyrgios is a shock selection for the qualifying tie against Sweden in Stockholm starting on January 31.
It would be the first Davis Cup appearance for the 2022 Wimbledon finalist since 2019 and comes as Kyrgios takes the first tentative steps in his comeback after long-standing injury issues.
Kyrgios is also a lightning rod for controversy, but de Minaur has no concerns about his compatriot returning to the Australian team.
"Everything is personal preference. You make headlines of what you want to make headlines," de Minaur said on Tuesday.
"If you want something to bother you, it's going to bother you.
"I'm excited, I'm completely fine with having Nick in the team. It's going to be great.
"For me, nothing changes, I still focus on trying to play some good tennis and hopefully represent Australia proud."
Speaking at a sponsor promotion for Wilson, de Minaur noted that Kyrgios was still trying to prove the fitness of his surgically-repaired wrist.
But de Minaur has no doubt that Kyrgios would add plenty to the Australian campaign.
"It's still not a given, as he's said. He's still seeing how the wrist is pulling up ... after being out for so long," said the world No.8.
"Hopefully he stays healthy, hopefully the wrist is all good.
"Obviously Nick, at the height of his game, is extremely dangerous any time he steps on the court, whether it's singles, doubles, mixed, or whatever.
"He has so much talent and of course it's great to have him on the team."
In the team nominations unveiled on Monday, the 29-year-old's name in Australia's four-man outfit raised eyebrows as he's shown no interest in the men's 'World Cup of tennis' ever since he last played against Belgium in November 2019.
He explained in an interview with AAP in 2022 that negativity towards him and the feeling of not being embraced by Australia made him prefer to play in a lucrative exhibition event in Saudi Arabia rather than represent his country.
But Kyrgios, who played 11 ties between 2013 and 2019, is evidently back in the fold, named alongside regulars de Minaur, Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis, stalwarts who've helped Australia reach the Cup final in 2022 and 2023 as well as last November's semi-final in Malaga.
"Those weeks are always a lot of fun, I love playing for Australia ... especially in Davis Cup," said de Minaur.
"It's been a goal and a priority of mine for a while, the last four or five years.
"We've come awfully close, so hopefully this year is the year."
