Australia's stunning week at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga culminates tonight with a final showdown against Canada.
Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt is excited his team has the opportunity to challenge for the prestigious team title.
"(I'm) just proud," Hewitt said after Australia's thrilling semifinal victory against Croatia.
"The whole team, the support staff, the hitting partners, Kubes (Jason Kubler), who is the sixth guy on the team. These guys make a lot of sacrifices to come here, and they have done it all year for me, for me and the coaching staff, and they do absolutely everything that we ask of them and they deserve to get results like (this).
"It's just nice when it all comes off and all the hard work pays off."
Alex de Minaur leads the Aussie charge, looking to continue his stellar unbeaten record in the competition this year.
> READ: De Minaur - 'My role is to be tough as nails'
| Australian team | ||
| Player | Singles ranking | Doubles ranking |
| Alex de Minaur | No.24 | No.198 |
| Jordan Thompson | No.84 | No.466 |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis | No.95 | No.15 |
| Max Purcell | No.221 | No.33 |
| Matt Ebden | No.741 | No.26 |
| Captain: Lleyton Hewitt | ||
Hewitt believes versatility is one of his team's biggest strengths. They have demonstrated that this week, mixing up their player selections in both singles and doubles.
"I have said pretty much the whole year to these boys, but especially this week, that this is going to be a team effort," Hewitt reiterated.
Hewitt, meanwhile, acknowledges that Canada's strength is "firepower".
Top-20 stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov spearhead the Canadian line-up.
"They've got two very quality singles players, obviously," Hewitt said.
"Doubles-wise, you know, we lost to them a couple years ago in the quarterfinals ... we know exactly what to expect."
Although Vasek Pospisil is currently unranked in doubles, he has been ranked as high as world No.4 and is a former Wimbledon champion. The 32-year-old has helped Canada win deciding doubles rubbers in both the quarterfinals and semifinals this week.
| Canadian team | ||
| Player | Singles ranking | Doubles ranking |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | No.6 | No.258 |
| Denis Shapovalov | No.18 | No.75 |
| Vasek Pospisil | No.100 | - |
| Alexis Galarneau | No.204 | No.411 |
| Gabriel Diallo | No.224 | No.1826 |
| Captain: Frank Dancevic | ||
This is the 11th meeting between Australia and Canada in the Davis Cup competition. A long-standing rivalry began in 1914, with Australia winning the first nine meetings between the two nations.
Canada recorded its first, and only, victory against the Aussie team in the 2019 quarterfinals.
The Canadian team went onto reach the final that year, their first-ever Davis Cup final appearance. After recording a runner-up finish to Spain, Canada has reached a second final and is now hoping to claim a first Davis Cup title.
Australia is looking to add to a rich history in the competition and secure a 29th Davis Cup title. This would be the Aussie team's first in 19 years and just the fifth in the past 44 years.
The 2022 Davis Cup Finals are broadcast live on the Nine Network in Australia, with coverage beginning from 11pm AEDT this evening.
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