The Australian Davis Cup team hopes to create history this week in Spain, as they look to progress to back-to-back finals for the first time in 22 years.
"It is bloody important to Australia, this competition, and we all understand the rich history," captain Lleyton Hewitt said following Australia's stirring comeback to beat the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals earlier this week.
"We are fortunate we come from a country that's had plenty of success in this competition over so many years and we've had so many great players play before us."
Hewitt was the world's top-ranked player the last time that Australia contested consecutive Davis Cup finals.
Now sitting in the captain's chair, Hewitt is determined to steer his team to a first Davis Cup title in 20 years.
"There is no better feeling in tennis," Hewitt explained.
"The feeling that I got as a player representing Australia, and getting the wins that I did in the big Davis Cup matches. I want these boys to get that same feeling. That's what drives me."
The Australian team's immediate focus is on a semifinal showdown with Finland, which will be the first meeting between the two nations in the prestigious teams event.
| Australian team | ||
| Player | Singles ranking | Doubles ranking |
| Alex de Minaur | No.12 | No.176 |
| Alexei Popyrin | No.40 | No.258 |
| Max Purcell | No.45 | No.35 |
| Jordan Thompson | No.56 | No.105 |
| Matt Ebden | - | No.4 |
| Captain: Lleyton Hewitt | ||
Finland have proven the surprise packets of the 2023 Davis Cup competition, recording wins against Argentina, Croatia, USA and defending champions Canada to advance to the semifinals for the first time.
The Finnish team were without top-ranked player Emil Ruusuvuori in a quarterfinal upset against Canada, with the world No.69 forced to watch from the sidelines due to a shoulder injury.
The 22-year-old Otto Virtanen stepped up in his absence, winning his singles and doubles matches to help Finland score a stunning victory.
| Finland team | ||
| Player | Singles ranking | Doubles ranking |
| Emil Ruusuvuori | No.69 | No.419 |
| Otto Virtanen | No.171 | No.389 |
| Patrick Kaukovalta | No.782 | No.715 |
| Harri Heliovaara | - | No.29 |
| Patrik Niklas-Salminen | - | No.123 |
| Captain: Jarkko Nieminen | ||
"They're going to be coming in very confident," Hewitt noted.
"We will be doing our homework, doing absolutely everything in our power to go out there and take care of business, but we certainly won't be taking them lightly at all."
The Australian team faces Finland today at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga from 4pm local time (from 2am AEDT Saturday 25 November).
Australia's Davis Cup Finals campaign is broadcast live in Australia on the Nine Network.
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