Alex de Minaur deals worrying new $4m blow to Lleyton Hewitt in painful exit from ATP Finals

Alex de Minaur's hopes of being called into Lleyton Hewitt's squad for the Davis Cup finals next week have seemingly taken a hit, after the Aussie winced in pain during his loss to Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals. De Minaur exited the ATP Finals with an 0-3 record after going down to Fritz 7-5 4-6 3-6 on Thursday night, and appeared to tweak his pesky hip injury.

The Aussie hasn't been at full fitness since hurting his hip at Wimbledon earlier this year, but has battled through the pain and managed to qualify for the ATP Finals. Hewitt would be hoping the injury doesn't prevent de Minaur from playing next week's Davis Cup finals, but might need to change his plans with $4 million in prize money on the line.

De Minaur didn't play the last round of Davis Cup as the Aussies qualified for the finals, but Hewitt's side would certainly be boosted by the World No.9's inclusion. But the reality is they might be forced to battle on without him again after he winced in obvious discomfort near the end of his loss to Fritz.

The defeat made it three on the trot for de Minaur at the season-ending tournament, following earlier losses to Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev in his debut at the ATP Finals. But the 'Demon' didn't succumb without a huge fight on Thursday despite the apparent flare-up of the injury that's dogged his second half of a breakthrough season.

The Aussie managed to win the first set and appeared a huge chance to upset Fritz. He dropped just one point on serve in the second set until an absent-minded game when serving to stay in the stanza was enough to allow Fritz to level at one-set apiece and ensure de Minaur was eliminated from contention for the semi-finals.

The knowledge of his exit appeared to knock the wind out of de Minaur's sails, and he was broken in the decider to go 3-1 down. A couple of games later, he grimaced in clear pain after stretching to his right and trying to shift back to his left - an obvious indication his hip is still bothering him.

Sinner later breezed past Medvedev 6-3 6-4, meaning the Italian World No.1 and Fritz both booked their places in the semi-finals from the group. But it wasn't all bad for Australia, with Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson becoming the first Aussie doubles duo since the Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge to make the last four at the season-ending men's championship since 1999.

Will Alex de Minaur be available for Davis Cup finals?

Whether the injury is enough to keep de Minaur out of the prestigious Davis Cup finals remains to be seen, but Hewitt might not want to risk an injured player. He used Alexei Popyrin and Thanasi Kokkinakis in singles and Purcell and Matt Ebden in doubles when the Aussies qualified for the finals in the group stage.

But de Minaur's absence would undoubtedly hamper the Aussie side as Hewitt and his men attempt to overcome the heartache of back-to-back losses at the final hurdle of the event. Hewitt said about de Minaur last month: "He's still giving himself a chance for Turin (ATP Finals) and obviously the Davis Cup Finals if he's up for it.

"A lot depends over the next month. He's really just added layers to his game (this year). He's been able to build a little bit more strength as well so he's got a bit more firepower, but we know how well he moves around the court."

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Adding another layer to de Minaur's decision is the fact the Australian Open is just around the corner. The World No.9 appears to have his best chance to finally break through at his home grand slam, and wouldn't want to jeopardise his chances by making his hip injury worse in the Davis Cup.