Nice stat to hang your floppy hat on: the last time three Aussie men got this far, one of them won it

Australian Lleyton Hewitt with the men’s singles trophy at Wimbledon in 2002

Three Australian men have reached the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in 20 years.

Back in 2002, Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis and Wayne Arthurs assumed three of the final 16 places in what is rather lavishly called The Gentlemen’s Singles. Hewitt ended up winning the title with the cheek, energy and appearance of a Bart Simpson with Yonex racquet and two-handed backhand.

Nick Kyrgios, Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler are the gentlemen still in this year’s draw. Kyrgios is the modern Philippoussis, but better. Well, more dangerous.

Philippoussis had the most gloriously natural service motion and silky-smooth strokes from all corners of the rectangle, but Kyrgios has extra oomph and firepower.

Stefanos Tsitsipas says Kyrgios also has “evil” on his side, but that’s going a little far. He’s just a tennis player.

De Minaur is Hewitt in attitude and the ability to punch above his weight. His problem is that he’s in a tough era – Djoko, Rafa etc – whereas Hewitt snuck through between the end of Pete Sampras’s reign and the beginning of Roger Federer’s rule.

Kubler is Wayne Arthurs for being the relative unknown. Every story ever written about Arthurs started with the words, “Big-serving Wayne Arthurs”. Kubler’s delivery is a more modest weapon and while he’s done wonders to reach the fourth round, his chances of going all the way are identical to Arthurs’ a couple of decades ago. Slim.

Anyway, the last time three Australian men reached the second week, one of them won it. It’s a nice stat to hang your floppy white hat on.

Hewitt is firmly in de Minaur’s corner and there’s almost comical entertainment value in seeing de Minaur turn to his entourage and start pumping his fists like a madman … only to see Hewitt doing the same. If de Minaur goes down, it’ll be kicking and screaming before Hewitt drags him out by the heels.

Kyrgios plays American Brandon Nakashima for a quarter-final berth. The World No.56 may like to pack racquets, towels, shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, cap and ear muffs.

De Minaur plays Chilean Cristain Garin. The World No.43 is as rock solid as Nakashima and there’s no guarantee the Australians will get through, but jeez, they should. Which means they’ll face each other in the quarters — good versus Dr. Evil? — and one of them will reach the semis.

Which means they’re up to their necks in the title hunt. Ajla Tomljanovic is alive and kicking in a wide-open women’s draw. You feared the retirement of Ash Barty was the death knell for Australian tennis but at the club where the grass is always greener, it’s sputtered back to life like a rusty old Holden ute that refuses to conk out.