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Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur are missing but that doesn’t mean Australia won’t win tennis medals at the Commonwealth Games.
Australia’s team will be headed by Peter Luczak, Anastasia Rodionova, Paul Hanley and Sally Peers, who are expected to fare well in generally weak Delhi Games tournament fields which suggest the Commonwealth may be struggling to keep up with the global spread of professional tennis.
Head coach Scott Draper believes Australia can be one of the biggest threats in the competition, even without leading lights Hewitt and Stosur.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we took home a swag of medals,” says Draper.
“But at the same time, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect.
“There’s no question about it, I’m not going to know some of these players (from other teams).”
Australia will hope rankings count for much in India.
Luczak, Australia’s second highest ranked player after Hewitt, is likely to be one of the top seeds in men’s singles – at worst fourth seed.
Davis Cup colleague Hanley, who played at the Beijing Olympics, should also enjoy a decent seeding thanks to the absence of some other major names including Scotland’s Andy Murray and Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis.
The competition may well end up being a game of who’s who, but Draper insists spectators won’t be disappointed.
Australia is taking a team of eight and will fight for medals across the singles, doubles and mixed doubles competition.
“I’m actually looking forward myself to what unfolds,” Draper says.
“The amount of times Australia has gone to play a supposedly lower ranked nation … when you come to represent your country, it’s amazing how it brings out the best out of everyone.
“When there’s medals on the line, there’s no outs.
“Would it have been nice to see the very best always play? Absolutely, but we’re still going to get a lot of enjoyment.”
One possible danger element for the Australian team will be the Indian capital’s heat, Draper says, as well as the lingering threat of the dreaded “Delhi belly”.
“Preparation is going to be really important for the team.”
The tennis competition begins at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium on October 4, with medal finals scheduled for October 10.
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