After a whirlwind summer of Australian tennis, Lleyton Hewitt has nothing but praise for the nation's Davis Cup team.
Arguably, Australian tennis has never been better placed than it is right now as 22 players qualified for the 2019 Australian Open.
Ten of those players went though to the second round at Melbourne Park, and five made it to the third - the most since 2004.
And now, the Australian team have secured their spot in the revamped Davis Cup finals after cleansweeping Bosnia and Herzevegonia in their qualifying tie in Adelaide.
MORE: Tennis Australia withdraws support for Bernard Tomic following Hewitt dispute | Alex de Minaur secures maiden victory as Australia take stranglehold over Bosnia and Herzegovina
Despite Bernard Tomic's questioning of Hewitt's priorities when it comes to his Davis Cup responsibilities, the two-time Grand Slam champion appears unfazed after their latest triumph.
After Tomic accused the Davis Cup captain of favouring Alex de Minaur, Alex Bolt, Jordan Thompson and Marc Polmans, Hewitt has admitted that he singled out de Minaur three years ago.
“I really tried to take (Alex de Minaur) under my wing about three years ago,” Hewitt told SEN SA Breakfast.
“I saw something special in Alex and for me, it’s more about trying to mentor him as much as possible.”
De Minaur took out the 2019 Sydney International to record his first career ATP title win at the ripe old age of 19.
The Demon then went on to achieve a career-high ranking after making the third round of the Australian Open, which sees him sitting 28th in the singles rankings.
And his mentor who has been by his side throughout his incredible rise? Lleyton Hewitt.
“We tried to fast-track him by bringing him into the Davis Cup as an orange boy two or three times in a row and he just loved being on the court alongside other players," he added.
“For him, I think he really grew, he understood how to play the game of tennis.
“The best thing is he just wants to go out there and compete."
But de Minaur is not the only Alex who Hewitt has taken under his wing.
While Alex Bolt sat on the sidelines for the Davis Cup, Hewitt has praised the 26-year-old for his sudden rise up the rankings.
“For us to have someone like Alex, he’s from South Australia and he comes from Murray Bridge and he’s such a great kid,” Hewitt said.
“He comes out and does absolutely everything for all the other players out here and he was very close to making this team as well.
“He can see that opportunity to crack into the top 100 and that’s got to be the next goal for him.”
After making the round-of-32 at Melbourne Park, Bolt has jumped up to a career-high singles ranking of 139.
The South Australian admitted his sizeable pay packet and rankings rise provides a springboard for more success on the main tour in 2019.
"I'm not going to have to worry week to week whether or not I'm going to have enough money to cover myself, so yeah, it's a big thing for me."
"… I think I'll try and play a lot more Tour events this year … as many as I can get into.
"Hopefully I can keep this form up and then I'll be in the top 100."