"You need to understand the tennis life is a beautiful thing, but it's also tough, especially these days," Philippoussis said.

"You've got social media. Nothing happens without it literally going worldwide in a second with Instagram and Twitter. It's not easy. When we were playing, we didn't have all of that stuff, I couldn't imagine.

"Nick is a powerful personality. He's going to learn, he's young. When someone trips over they need to realise they've tripped over, learn from that and grow.

"I'm sure that's what's happening. Everyone makes mistakes and there's not much you can do. You just have to come up stronger, so the next time the same situation comes up you know what decision to make, you're learning from the last one.

"It's so easy these days to criticise people. We want the best for these guys, we want them to do well for their country, for their Davis Cup side, for themselves.

"We also need to support them as they do that."

Philippoussis won his second Davis Cup in 2003, but Australia has not come close since. But the emergence of Kokkinakis, Kyrgios and Tomic has raised hopes of a return to the halcyon days, despite the latter's reluctance to play in some of the campaigns. The man dubbed the Scud, who will take on Goran Ivanisevic in a Fast-4 encounter at the Apia Sydney international in Sydney, believes all three have the potential to become top-five players.

But to do so, Kyrgios and Tomic must learn from the indiscretions that have affected their tennis.

"When you're a kid, you just want to be a professional, that's all you want," Philippoussis said.

"You want to play in front of the crowds, on centre court, for your country. Davis Cup, lifting the trophy on the Sunday, you dream of that stuff.

"You don't realise that's it's like 'careful what you wish for'. You're not ready for the things that come along with it, let's be honest. You train for hours a day to get to the next level, but you're not trained to handle certain situations, to handle the expectations. That's something that happens along the way.

"If someone is to trip, you can't crucify them as long as they have learnt their lesson."

A generation ago Philippoussis, along with Lleyton Hewitt, carried the hopes of a success-starved nation. Tomic was the first of the new breed and he is finally beginning to fulfil his undoubted potential as Kyrgios and Kokkinakis compete for the local spotlight.

"Our future is bright considering that a few years ago everyone was freaking out a bit, thinking what's gone wrong?" Philippoussis said.

"For so long we were spoilt with amazing talent, all of these amazing characters in the game, and we took things for granted. It's natural that it would take a little time for those next guys to come up and that's what's happened.

"These kids are doing their work and it's starting to pay off now. These guys are incredibly talented. With Nick, Thanasi and Tomic, they are three different personalities, three different games, which is great.

"It's up to them to see how far they can go. They have the talent to go top 10, top five.

"It's very important as they grow and get more mature physically and mentally that they take their tennis to another level as well."

Tomic, despite well-publicised dramas, has begun to do so. The 23-year-old achieved a career-high ranking of 18 in a season that included a night in an American lock-up and yet another stoush with Tennis Australia.

"This is a kid who has been in the spotlight for a long time," Philippoussis said.

"In my eyes it feels like he's 27 years old, but he's still so young, he's just been around for a long time.

"He's got a very unique game, a game that troubles guys because nobody plays like him. When you're practising for someone you can find someone similar, but no one plays like him.

"He's old school - an inside-out forehand, but then he can come over it.

"I've been impressed with his year, he's been very solid and stepped it up. He's stronger, he's more focused, he's hungry. More importantly, I think Nick and Thanasi are pushing him to get to that next level. Before it was just him, now it's a case of 'don't forget about me, too'.

"They are all pushing and helping each other."

Philippoussis, part of a Sydney legends field that also includes John McEnroe, has also taken a keen interest in fellow Greek-Australian Kokkinakis. The pair spent time together while on the same International Premier Tennis League team.

"I've seen a bit of him this year and he's improved every month, he's gotten better and stronger," said the former world No.8.

"The good thing is he's got a really good head on his shoulders, he's got a huge heart and he's a fighter. He wants it, he wants to work hard. I believe 2016 will be his breakout year."

With Lleyton Hewitt appointed Davis Cup captain, Australia should have a strong squad for its 2016 campaign. However, success will depend on Tomic and Kyrgios' desire to be a part of it, with history suggesting their commitment can waver.

"For me, I was a very different personality to Lleyton or Pat [Rafter], I liked doing things differently or on my own," said the Wimbledon and US Open finalist.

"When tennis was done I wanted to do my own thing, I had my own friends, but when we came together as a team we became strong. We put our different personalities aside because we were on the same mission.

"It's important for these guys to understand that and feel the same thing. It's good that guys are different, it makes a stronger team when you bring different things to the table.

"You put everything aside for that week and do what you have to do."