Alex de Minaur has cast doubt upon his participation in future iterations of the United Cup amid claims from other team members of a "weird and hostile" Australian team environment.
Australia crashed out of the United Cup in the group stages after a shock loss to Argentina, despite dominant victories from de Minaur in his singles and mixed doubles matches.
Speaking to the media after his loss to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open quarter-finals, the 25-year-old stopped short of blaming the early exit from the United Cup and lack of matches before arriving at Melbourne Park as the reason for his defeat, but said that the format of the United Cup made it a challenge for top singles players to commit.
"I would have loved to play a couple more matches the first week of the year," said de Minaur. "The way it kind of fell about, it didn't come. Wasn't meant to be.
"What is probably not ideal is that in the United Cup, you can go out there and have a great two matches, but you're very much dependent on your team, which can work both ways, you can not play well, and your team take you through, or the other way around. But, also, the opponents you're playing. That gives you the different points, with the way the point system works."
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De Minaur also revealed that he would consider playing a tour event in future years, where the amount of matches played would be solely dependent on his performance.
"It's probably something I'm going to have to look back and think about and talk with the team," he confirmed.
His comments come amidst claims of a fractured Australian dressing room and a lack of clarity over the roles of various team members, especially regarding the controversial decision to drop the established doubles pairing of Matthew Ebden and Ellen Perez for de Minaur and Olivia Gadecki in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Ebden revealed that he played an instrumental role in the decision to substitute de Minaur for the crucial mixed doubles, given the strength of the Sydneysider’s singles performances.
"I was going to play that match with Gadecki," said Ebden. "Ellen was not going to play that last match and that was the decision that we were told the night before. But then, once [Gadecki] had lost her [singles] match in straight sets, we were all but out of the competition already… so then [Perez and I] might have played anyway.
"But then Alex went out there and won 6-2 6-1 and it became apparent that [Team Australia] could still qualify… we had to make the decision in 10 minutes so I said 'it was sort of his singles points on the line', and we were only any sniff of going through because of what he did in his [singles] match, so I thought it was only right that he had the chance to try to live and die by his sword in a way."
Ebden also revealed that he was ready and willing to play if de Minaur decided that he did not want to participate.
However, Perez revealed that her understanding of the situation was different, saying that she was "kept in the dark" by the decision.
"We were told the night before that there’s potential that they may mix up the teams. There was no mention of who might be changed in… and there was no specific mention that we [Ebden and I] wouldn’t be playing," said Perez, who is ranked No.11 in the live WTA doubles rankings.
"All four of us were warming up except Demon because he came off the court… and it was when Demon came off the court that they made the final decision so it was kind of kept in the dark."
Perez said that she wasn’t given any reasoning as to the decision from Hewitt, saying that the United Cup experience was largely down to what each individual player made of it.
Gadecki also said that there was no decision made the night before, and when presented with Ebden’s comments said, "You never know for sure".
Perez’s comments about a lack of clear communication from the team echo those made by team member Destanee Aiava in a vlog post about her United Cup experience, where she was unclear on whether she would play.
At one point in the vlog, she said, "I’m just going to go train again today because that’s all I’m good for this week" and that she "won’t ever be entering [the] United Cup ever again" unless she was the number one player and therefore, guaranteed matches.
Aiava also called the team environment "weird and hostile" describing Team Australia as "not so welcoming".
"It’s not team-based at all," she said. "We pretty much just do whatever we want, by ourselves. And when everyone has to play, that’s when we all come together as a team."
Aiava also said that there were only two or three people that she had properly conversed with on the team.
Gadecki would not be pressed on Aiava’s comments, saying that she loved the week, describing the tournament as a "great event" and saying that she was "lucky to be able to start the week in a team event and in Sydney in front of a home crowd."
While the players referred to the Australian team centring around De Minaur, who Perez described as the "epitome of Tennis Australia" and said that she hoped to be "good support staff for him and the rest of the team".
This stratified experience was in contrast to the other teams, who clearly bonded through their shared team experience.
"What makes this event so special is we take [in] this moment," said Denis Kudla, who was part of the victorious US team and chose to retire at the event. "We're out here, drinking, having a good time. You don't get to be in a team environment that much. So over the last three years, everyone who has been on this United Cup team has become a pretty close friend of mine."
Iga Świątek, who was part of the Polish runner-up team, also referred to the support from the Team Poland squad in her final press conference.
"I think the support has been amazing. We respect each other so much that we really have been here together no matter who was playing. Overall I think we stuck together through everything. It was amazing," she explained.
The Italian team, after losing to Czechia in the quarter-finals, also praised their team camaraderie as one of the biggest reasons why they chose to play in the event.
"It's the perfect way to start the season in the team," said Flavio Cobolli. "We are, all of us, great friends, so it's important to have a big group to start the season. We have fun on all days, so I like it."
The First Serve reached out to Team captain Lleyton Hewitt, but he did not respond to a request for comment through Tennis Australia in time for publication.
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