The retiring Lleyton Hewitt has been named Australia's new Davis Cup captain.

Hewitt, 34, is set to replace Wally Masur, who stood in as interim captain after Pat Rafter's resignation in January.

Masur led Australia to the World Group semi-finals before they were beaten by Great Britain.

Hewitt will retire from professional tennis after the 2016 Australian Open, which will mark his 20th consecutive appearance at Melbourne Park.

The two-time grand slam champion takes the helms of a talented but unpredictable team, including the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

"For me this is a great honour," Hewitt said at Tuesday's announcement.

"This is one of the highest positions in Australian tennis. I've prided myself for so many years on being a great team player and leading from the front."

Australia have been drawn to face United States in the first round of the 2016 Davis Cup.