Behind him, Nick Kyrgios has now returned to action and he came close to a Grand Slam victory in 2022 when he reached the final at Wimbledon.

Elsewhere, Alexei Popyrin knocked Novak Djokovic out of the US Open in August last year, whilst there is also Thanai Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson also striving to improve their rankings.

Ultimately, the sole hopes of the Australian contingent looks to rest with De Minaur at the moment but even he looks some way short of winning a Grand Slam title at this stage.

Hewitt was the last Australian to win a Grand Slam title when he was crowned Wimbledon champion in 2002, with the player winning the US Open the year previous.

What Rod Laver said about Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic after Australian Open in 2012

Although Hewitt gave a good account of himself in 2012, it was clear that the two-time Grand Slam winner was approaching the twilight of his career.

He was given a wildcard for the 2012 tournament and knocked out Andy Roddick and Milos Raonic before succumbing to Novak Djokovic in four sets during an entertaining fourth-round clash.

Back then it was anticipated that Bernard Tomic would take over the mantle as Australia’s main hope for major honours in the men’s game.

He was just starting out on his journey and had been a professional player for four years, also reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open in 2012 before losing to Roger Federer in straight sets.

Rod Laver was quizzed on the changing of the guard and he had some kind words for both Hewitt and Tomic following the tournament.

He said: ” Of course, Lleyton has been a great credit to Australian tennis. He’s a fighter. The Australian public, they like to see a full effort when they’re watching a match.

“I think Lleyton pulled off some unbelievable matches during his career, even the other night he took a set off Djokovic. No one thought that was possible. But at 30 or 31, he’s had a great career.

“He has to do it with his legs. I think after a while it’s tough. He’s not a tall man, so he has to work from the baseline.

“Bernard Tomic certainly has potential. I believe it’s a mental makeup. If he’s prepared to put the effort in, learn more about the game, practice and practice and practice, all of a sudden something clicks. That puts him in another level.

“Also, you need lucky wins. It doesn’t matter how you win, sometimes you improve overnight a lot of people say. But that’s where it happens. You win a third-round match that maybe you shouldn’t have won. Maybe he has a shoulder injury, it doesn’t matter how you win. I watched Wimbledon and saw him play some great matches there.”

Rod Laver career statistics

When Rod Laver talks about tennis people tend to stand up and take notice of what is being said.

The man with a court named after him in Melbourne where the Australian Open takes place, enjoyed a fine career and is the most successful male Australian player of all time.

Laver managed 11 Grand Slam titles during his career and actually won 198 singles titles in total, with 72 of those recognised as being listed by the ATP in the open era.

It’s intriguing that he said that Tomic would need a bit of luck to emulate Hewitt and sadly for the Australian he’s been unable to enjoy a similar level of success.

The 32-year-old will be trying to qualify for the Australian Open which starts next Sunday and his career to date has seen him reach the last eight at Wimbledon in 2011.

Laver will be watching on from his own court when things get underway at this year’s event and he will surely have everything crossed that one of the Australian players can enjoy a solid run in 2025.