Fifteen-year-old Bernard Tomic could be lumped with the burden of carrying Australia's singles assault into September's World Group play-off assignment in Chile.
Captain John Fitzgerald announced his raw squad on Wednesday with teenagers Tomic and Brydan Klein, 16, joined by Chris Guccione, Peter Luczak, Sam Groth and Californian-born and raised Carsten Ball.
While world No.87 Guccione and clay-court specialist Luczak are the obvious choices for the singles roles, Fitzgerald declared all positions vacant for the September 19-21 battle.
"It's been made very clear to all of those guys that there are no guarantees until we decide who the final four are," Fitzgerald said.
"We will name a final four 12 days before the tie, according to the rules."
"But we're allowed to change team members up until the day before the draw."
"All the players are very aware they are playing for their spots when they get down there and they are all excited about that."
Fitzgerald said training at the Antofagasta court in the days leading up the tie would go a long way towards settling the team.
But he declared Tomic was not in the six-man side to cut oranges.
"I don't think I really have a gut feeling until we get on the surface," Fitzgerald said.
"The surface we assume is going to be extremely slow and it's at sea level. The courts in that part of the world always are."
"It just depends on how they all adapt. Not just him (Tomic), but all of them."
Fitzgerald conceded Australia was down on firepower without the injured Lleyton Hewitt but refused to declare the trip a lost cause.
If nothing else, it will give tennis fans a glimpse into life beyond Lleyton.
"They're not super experienced at the highest level some of these kids but they have potential and I think situations like these types of Davis Cup ties sometimes tell you a lot about the potential of their character ongoing," he said.
"We'll be looking for them all to show us a lot of character in a difficult situation."
"Yes, it's about the future as well but my priority is to try and win this tie first and foremost, as it always is and has to be."
"We're not foregoing this tie in any way for the future."
"But I think the two in some ways are connected because they are all young kids."
The captain warned that the Chilean crowds would not go easy on the fresh-faced Aussies.
"They are dissimilar to our Australian crowds, yes. Absolutely."
"It's very much like a soccer atmosphere. It's always difficult for tennis players who don't play in that atmosphere to walk on when it's a one-on-one ball game."
"The crowds can be difficult but that's OK. That's part of building character."