Hewitt wants Kyrgios for Davis Cup return

Lleyton Hewitt wants Nick Kyrgios to end his three-year Davis Cup absence in 2022, adamant one of the great crowd-pleasers in tennis is part of Australia's best team.

Kyrgios will sit out this weekend's qualifying tie against Hungary, with the 26-year-old knocking back an approach from team captain Hewitt to play in Sydney due to meetings in the USA.

The one-time world No.13 has not played for Australia since 2019, but Hewitt is hopeful he can bring him back into the fold for the group stage or finals.

"We wanted him back for this match. For us it's disappointing he wasn't available for this particular tie," Hewitt said.

"He is absolutely in the (best) team.

"I get along extremely well with Nick. We have plenty of open discussions. He loves playing but he has a lot of other things going on as well.

"Hopefully he gets the opportunity to be back in the team because I actually think it helps his tennis and enjoyment of the sport as well.

"Hopefully we get through this and he is available later in the year."

Kyrgios' absence from Davis Cup has been consistent with all tennis since the start of the pandemic.

The Canberra product has played in just 10 tournaments since the 2020 Australian Open and has already indicated he will sit out Roland Garros this year.

His repeated absences during that time have resulted in his ranking plummeting from No.20 in the world to 134th.

Nevertheless, Kyrgios has shown flashes of brilliance in reaching the third round at Wimbledon and the Australian Open last year and winning the doubles in Melbourne this summer with Thanasi Kokkinakis.

"The last two years have been tough for him, because Nick enjoys being home," Hewitt said.

"He is fortunate, though, that he can pick up a racquet and be able