After all but ruling Bernard Tomic's Davis Cup career over, Lleyton Hewitt admitted he is not sure whether the controversial tennis star will even continue playing the sport.
Australian team captain Hewitt said he doubted whether Tomic would play Davis Cup again after causing a stir since joining reality TV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
Tomic told Network Ten that Australia could not win the Davis Cup title without him and that Hewitt knew it.
Tomic's comments didn't go down well with two-time major winner, who is preparing a Nick Kyrgios-led team for their Davis Cup first-round tie against Germany in Brisbane starting on Friday.
Asked if Tomic would play for Australia again, the former world No.1 said: "It's highly doubtful.
"He's made some mistakes. It will be a long way back.
"He's digging a big hole for himself that he may never get out of."
Kyrgios joined the squad on Tuesday but Hewitt said team members already in camp had laughed off Tomic's claim that they needed him to be successful.
"I don't watch a lot of those kind of shows but a couple of boys have kept a close eye on it (I'm a Celebrity) and it keeps them in good humour at night and gives them something to talk about," he said.
"The team camaraderie is as good as I have seen for a long time.
"We believe we can go a long way and I back these boys."
Asked if Australia could win without Tomic, Hewitt said: "Everyone knows he couldn't help us right now".
Baffled by Tomic's reality TV stint, Hewitt said the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist had to commit to the sport to ever be considered for Davis Cup again.
"It's strange. You either want to be a tennis player or you don't," he said of Tomic's TV reality show appearance.
"I don't know (if he will play again). He still wanted to play the Australian Open and tried to qualify and good on him for that.
"But it is pointless if he is playing in quallies and you are not committed to the sport.
"He's wasting not only his time but also everyone around him.
"He's got to commit to the sport if he has any chance of coming back."
Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said it was up to Hewitt to assess Tomic's Davis Cup prospects but admitted "he's got some work to do to get back".
"It's not the first time I have heard Bernard make negative comments toward the organisation - I can pretty much guess what Bernard is going to say," Tiley told SEN Radio.
The draw for the first round tie at Pat Rafter Arena will be held on Thursday.
Australia lead 4-3 in head-to-head Davis Cup clashes but Germany won the last tie, a 2012 World Group playoff 3-2 in Hamburg.
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