MELBOURNE, Australia -- Lleyton Hewitt will join Australia's Davis Cup team for its semifinal match against Argentina despite injuries and safety concerns.
Hewitt, Australia's most successful Davis Cup player with 38 singles victories, was reluctant to commit at first because of a knee injury and his dislike of clay courts.
Tennis Australia said it will provide extra security around the Sept. 22-Sept. 24 matches to help alleviate Hewitt's concerns about how he will be received by the Argentine crowd.
Hewitt has had on-court clashes with several Argentine players, including David Nalbandian and Juan Ignacio Chela.
"The biggest concern is my safety," he said in July. "The situation has got steadily worse for visiting teams and it takes only one whacko over there to turn things on its head. I've got my family to think about and there are issues around the security situation."
Hewitt, who reached the quarterfinals of this month's U.S. Open, will join Mark Philippoussis, Wayne Arthurs and Paul Hanley on the Australian team after completing treatment for knee tendinitis.