🎾 Kyrgios Opts Out Of Davis Cup Deciders

Welcome, it's Wednesday, 17 August. There's been a lot of footy news recently so we're mixing it up today with some tennis, a bit of cricket and of course... some footy. There's likely more footy to come tomorrow with the NRL Grand Final venue set to be decided this evening and there's the coaching tug of war for Alastair Clarkson. But let's stay present and get into today's newsletter.

⏱ 1,192 words = 5 minutes

👀 Ninja tennis 🥷

THE MAIN GAME

🎾 Aussies deal with Kyrgios loss for Davis Cup

The last time Australia won the Davis Cup in 2003, Finding Nemo was one of the biggest movies of the year. 19 years later Australia will have to find a way to win without one of its biggest names. There's only one thing to do: just keep swinging, just keep swinging. 

Golden points: Australia named its Davis Cup team for the group stage matches next month in Germany and there's no Nick Kyrgios.

• Kyrgios says he's going home after the US Open to be with his parents, who he says are unwell.

• It means Kyrgios hasn't played in the Davis Cup since 2019 and given he's in the form of his life, he would've been a handy inclusion.

• But he's not available, so team captain Lleyton Hewitt has selected Australia's top-ranked men's player Alex de Minaur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alexei Popyrin, Jason Kubler and Wimbledon doubles champions Matt Ebden and Max Purcell.

• Australia is in Group C and will play France, Belgium and Germany in Hamburg from 13 September, 2 days after the US Open finishes, so it's a tight turnaround.

• The top 2 teams in each of the 4 groups advance to the quarter-finals in November in Malaga, Spain, where the semis and final will also be played.

• The Russian Tennis Federation won the Davis Cup last year, but following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the RTF has been suspended from all international tennis and won't be there to defend its title.

They said it: "We fought through a really tough qualifying match back in March against Hungary which has now given us this opportunity to build on and the boys understand what’s at stake. I look forward to Alex leading the team in Hamburg," team captain Lleyton Hewitt, who we're pretty sure bleeds green and gold.

What's next: The Davis Cup is less than a month away, but most of the Aussie team, and Kyrgios, are playing at the Cincinnati Masters at the moment and then it's the US Open that starts on 29 August.

QUICK SINGLES

🏉 NRL: Knights suspend 2 players, but not the 2 everyone was expecting. Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann will have to wait until the NRL Integrity Unit wraps up its investigation into the bathroom cubicle incident before they learn what, if any, punishment they'll receive. But we know the Bradman Best and Enari Tuala will miss the weekend's match against Canberra after they were stood down for being late for a team bus in Brisbane.

🏏 Cricket: Australia's women's team will be put to the Test in the next few years. The International Cricket Council (aka the ICC, the governing body that runs the game globally), yesterday revealed the women's Future Tours Program (aka the FTP which is the international schedule) and in it, Australia is down to play 5 Tests: 2 v England, 2 v India including in India for the 1st time in 39 years and 1 v South Africa for the very 1st time. There's also heaps of other cricket, including 3 World Cups and the Comm Games in Victoria.

🏉 AFL: The AFL has fined 5 clubs for COVID-related breaches. The Swans ($100k), Magpies ($50k), Tigers ($25k), Lions and Saints ($25k suspended) were fined by the AFL yesterday for some dodgy RAT reporting. Ratting someone out is usually frowned upon but in this case, it's kinda important which is why the AFL has dished out the big fines.

🏏 Cricket: Ian Chappell is hanging up the commentary mic after 4 decades. Chappell has been a household name for cricket lovers since the early 1960s as a dashing batter, fearless captain, a key part in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket revolution and then as a commentator for Channel 9. He was part of the commentary super team alongside Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry and Tony Greig, who have all been immortalised by comedian Billy Birmingham's 12th Man records.

🏉 Rugby league: Former NRL star Corey Norman has been banned for 8 games. How do we say this gracefully... Norman has been banned and fined for administering an unwelcome prostate exam on an opponent during a Super League match in the UK. If you can remember the John Hopoate incident from 21 years ago you'll know what we're talking about.

LEFT OF FIELD

🏉 Rugby league: For the 1st time in more than a century, the Barcaldine Sandgoannas looked like they wouldn't field a footy team in Queensland's central west comp. The club didn't have a coach, was short on players and all hope seemed lost. Then a 17yo kid named Mannix Hunt stepped up and put the club, his teammates and the entire town on his back. Hunt was named captain-coach of the Sandgoannas and after a rocky start led his team to grand final glory on the weekend. Netflix, if you're reading, here's your next blockbuster 10-part series. Fortunately for Hunt, he turned 18 during the season, so he got to enjoy the Silly Sunday and Mad Monday celebrations.

📽 Highlight reel: He might not be playing Davis Cup, but Nick Kyrgios is still putting on a show in Cincinnati. Check out this ninja-like rally with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina that left Kyrgios' jaw firmly dropped.

THE POLLING BOOTH

Tuesday's result: 63.39% reckon to leave cricket out of the Olympics and stick with the traditional sports.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

• ⚾️ 9:00am - MLB - Yankees v Rays - Yankees Stadium, New York - Foxtel, Kayo

• 🏏 11:30pm - Cricket - England v South Africa - Lord's, London - Foxtel, Kayo

THE MANAGER'S OFFICE

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