Newk tamps down short-term Aussie tennis expectations



Australian tennis legend John Newcombe is tamping down hopes for an Aussie tennis revival under Patrick Rafter as the nation's high-profile summer season of tennis approaches.

Newk said that even with the popular Rafter at the helm of the Davis team, progress in replacing Lleyton Hewitt with another young gun will be years in the making.

Australian tennis is still struggling, with Hewitt aged 29 and standing outside of the Top 50. Nearest heir apparent Bernard Tomic is a bundle of discipline problems and there are few promises in the junior development pipeline at the moment with the Australian Open starting January 17.

"There's a long way to go before we can get back to there again," Newcombe told Australia's AAP. "We can't view Pat as the saviour. He's not there to develop the 12-year-olds - and that is what we need to be doing," he said.

Rafter, one of the most popular players in Australian history, came aboard as Davis Cup captain in the autumn with Tony Roche as his coach. With Hewitt the lone Aussie in the ATP Top 100, pickings for Davis selection remain slim.

"It's fantastic that Pat is in the position he's in, but he is not in any position to be seen as the saviour of Australian tennis," Newcombe said. "But with Pat and Tony Roche being in charge there, I think that's a very positive step. Newcombe ran the Davis Cup side for seven years from 1994 with Roche as his deputy, winning the title in 1999.

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