Melbourne, 4 September 2013 | tennis.com.au

The Australian and Polish Davis Cup teams have been announced ahead of next week’s 13–15 September World Group Play-off in Warsaw, Poland.

Captain Pat Rafter named Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic, Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione as the team to take on Poland, who will be represented by Jerzy Janowicz, Lukasz Kubot, Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg.

“They [Poland] have a very good team,” said Tomic following his second-round loss at the US Open.

“We’ve got to prepare well the next week. I know the boys will. I know the whole team will. I’ll work hard because it’s Davis Cup. The tie is very important to us. We had a chance last year and missed it. And the year before, very close. We’ll be ready for this one. Hopefully we can win this time.”

The Australian team has featured in the World Group play-offs for five of the past six years but has been unable to clear the final hurdle.

This tie looms as a difficult one, especially if world No.14 and Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz can overcome the back injury that hampered him at the US Open.

“I will try my best to be ready for this match,” Janowicz said, but added “I can’t serve”.

The Australian team, minus Hewitt, has gathered in Munich where they are preparing for the tie before travelling to Poland. Now that Hewitt’s US Open campaign has come to an end at the hands of Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, the 32-year-old will travel to Munich to join his teammates.

“It’s going to be a tough tie for us.  We obviously need Bernie playing well and ready, and then, you know, hopefully we can find a way to get three rubbers,” said Hewitt.