Hewitt challenges Cup charges, hails Roche

Lleyton Hewitt is challenging his triumphant Davis Cup charges to take their game to the next level - Pat Rafter-style - following Australia's epic qualifying win over Hungary.

Hewitt hopes the hard-earned 3-2 victory in Sydney plus a week working with master coach Tony Roche drives Alex de Minaur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alexei Popyrin and doubles specialists John Peers and Luke Saville to new heights.

The proud captain pointed to Rafter's breakthrough win over Cedric Pioline from two sets down at White City 25 years ago, when France were defending Davis Cup champions, as proof the famous teams' event can be a career changer.

Hewitt was an orange boy for that 1997 tie and "Rafter was a so-so player back then".

Seven months later and armed with new-found belief, Rafter won the first of back-to-back US Open crowns that propelled the serve-volleyer to world No.1.

"I just wanted to play Davis Cup from that day," Hewitt said of Rafter's memorable Cup win.

The skipper urged de Minaur, Kokkinakis, Popyrin and company to draw similar confidence from their Davis Cup experiences ahead of bumper hardcourt events in Indian Wells and Miami and then the rest of the grand slam season.

"This has to be confidence building for these guys," Hewitt said.

"Even Alexei, he could have easily played this week as well. He came back and did absolutely everything we asked of him.

"But when he leaves this tie, we want him to be a better player than when he arrived.

"We try and do hard work on the practice court and we want them to go out and have success now and we feel like these guys are due and they deserve that.

"They've put in the hard work and they've got a couple of big tournaments coming up the next four weeks and there's no reason why they