Lleyton Gleen Hewitt (ur. 24 lutego 1981 w Adelajdzie), tenisista australijski.
Zwyciêzca US Open 2001 (w finale z Pete Samprasem) oraz Wimbledonu 2002 (w finale z Davidem Nalbandianem); wygrywa³ tak¿e Masters 2001 i 2002 oraz w barwach Australii siêga³ po Puchar Davisa w 1999 i 2003. W latach 2002-2003 nr 1 listy ¶wiatowej. W finale wielkoszlemowego US Open 2004 przegra³ ze Szwajcarem Rogerem Federerem. Równie¿ Federerowi uleg³ w finale Masters 2004 w Houston; sezon 2004 zakoñczy³ na trzecim miejscu na ¶wiecie, za Federerem i Roddickiem.
W styczniu 2005 przegra³ w finale Australian Open z Rosjaninem Maratem Safinem.
Jego narzeczon± by³a tenisistka belgijska Kim Clijsters, jednak na jesieni 2004, krótko przed planowanym ¶lubem, rozstali siê.
Obecnie mieszka w Sydney razem ze swoj± ¿on± australijsk± aktork± Bec Cartwright z któr± wzi±³ ¶lub 21 lipca 2005 w s³ynnym Sydney Opera House. 29 listopada 2005 o godzinie 1:45 w Sydney urodzi³a siê im córeczka Mia Rebecca.
Wygrane turnieje
Gra pojedyncza (26)
* 2007: Tennis Channel Open, Las Vegas, USA
* 2006: Stella Artois Championships, Queen's Club, Londyn, ENG
* 2005: Medibank International, Sydney, AUS
* 2004: TD Waterhouse Cup, Long Island, USA
* 2004: Legg Mason Classic, Waszyngton, USA
* 2004: ABN Amro World Tennis, Rotterdam, NED
* 2004: Addidas International, Sydney, AUS
* 2003: Pacific Life Open, Masters Series, Indian Wells, CA, USA
* 2003: Franklin Templeton Classic, Scottsdale, USA
* 2002: Masters Cup
* 2002: Wimbledon
* 2002: Stella Artois Championships, Queen's Club, Londyn, ENG
* 2002: Pacific Life Open, Masters Series, Indian Wells, CA, USA
* 2002: Siebel Open, San José, USA
* 2001: Masters Cup
* 2001: AIG Open, Tokio, JPN
* 2001: US Open
* 2001: Ordina Open, 's-Hertogenbosch, NED
* 2001: Stella Artois Championships, Queen's Club, Londyn, ENG
* 2001: Addidas International, Sydney, AUS
* 2000: Stella Artois Championships. Queen's Club, Londyn, ENG
* 2000: Franklin Templeton Classic, Scottsdale, USA
* 2000: Addidas International, Sydney, AUS
* 2000: Australian Mens Hardcourt Championships, Adelajda, AUS
* 1999: The Citrix Championships, Delray Beach, USA
* 1998: Australian Mens Hardcourt Championships, Adelajda, AUS
Gra podwójna (2)
* 2000: US Open (z Mirnym)
* 2000: RCA Championships, Indianapolis, USA
Inne osi±gniêcia
* 2003: Puchar Davisa
* 1999: Puchar Davisa
Lleyton - jeden z najbardziej charyzmatycznych zawodników w rozgrywkach.
Jego charakter, wola walki, zabójcza gra z kontry i s³ynne "C'mon!" sprawi³o, ze porywa³ t³umy zgromadzone na tenisowym korcie. No ale nikt nie jest niezniszczalny.
Obecnie Australijczyk p³aci straszna cenê za styl gry, jaki prezentowa³. Ostatnimi czasy przypl±ta³a siê kontuzja biodra, która dla tenisisty jest jak wyrok - w praktyce oznacza definitywny koniec powa¿nego grania.
Niestety bardzo czêsty i przykry scenariusz - biodro nie wytrzymuje obci±¿eñ i pojawia siê uraz, którego objawy mo¿na co najwy¿ej z³agodziæ, nigdy za¶ zaleczyæ na tyle, by my¶leæ o grze na najwy¿szym ¶wiatowym poziomie. Rankingi to dobitnie potwierdzaj±.
No ale na szczê¶cie Rusty ma wspania³± rodzinê, ¿onê, niebawem 2 dzieci - tak¿e ma zajêcie i wydaje siê ono byæ du¿o bardziej priorytetowe ni¿ tenis.
Moim ulubieñcem nie by³ nigdy, ale szkoda faceta - jedna z najbarwniejszych postaci w rozgrywkach.
Lleyton Hewitt asks Andre Agassi for help
Former no. 1 tennis player in the world Lleyton Hewitt appointed Andre Agassi coach with the aim of coming back to the top ten after a poor 2008 season start.
Lleyton Hewitt, who's best result in the season is quarter-finals at the last Australian Open, is about to fall down in the world ranking and stop being a top-seeded for the upcoming two Grand Slams (the French Open and Wimbledon) after being ousted from ATP Tennis Channel Open; thus, he was the defending champion for he won in 2007.
Yet, this early, unexpected defeat made 27-year-old tennis player to seek Andre Agassi to become his coach .
"I've always admired Agassi for the way he planned everything since we started working. We have a goal for everything we did in the practice, the intensity was amazing", Hewitt said to paper "The Australian".
"For me, it was not only a great chance to work with one of the greatest tennis player ever, but also a chance to talk about my game and how to play tennis now", he added.
Working with fellow Tony Roche, who previously coached Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter and Roger Federer, hasn't born fruit, but Hewitt hopes to change his reality soon.
Artyku³ starszej daty, ale czy kto¶ wie jak siê na to zapatrywa³ Agassi?
Pogoni³ Rustego czy kontuzja Hewitta odroczy³a negocjacje?
Hewitt charytatywnie
http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/ … harity.asp
ATP Tour - Hewitt targets top 10 return
The former Wimbledon and US Open champion has slumped to 67 in the ATP rankings after an injury-ravaged year and faces a make-or-break 2009 season, starting with next month's Australian Open in Melbourne.
The 27-year-old had surgery for a long-standing hip complaint in August after being knocked out of the Beijing Olympics by Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
"I want to have a crack at trying to get top-10 and get in the Masters Cup for the end of next year," Hewitt told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
"But you've got to play a lot of tournaments to be able to do that and that's where it comes back to the hip holding up, and every other body part."
Hewitt said he has been swimming, running, cycling, climbing stairs and stretching, all before picking up his racquet, which he did two weeks ago.
Australia's leading player said he has no doubt his tennis remains competitive provided he can remain injury-free. To do that he is training up to six hours a day, half of that time on court.
"I actually enjoy it. If you're fit you're playing most weeks on tour," he said. "So this is a good opportunity for me not just to look at the Australian summer, but also the 2009 calendar.
Australia's former world number one Lleyton Hewitt is training six hours a day as he bids to recover from hip surgery and make a surprise return to the top 10.
"Hopefully, I can get my body in as good a shape as possible to see me right through next year."
Hewitt was restricted to 11 tournaments this year and the hip surgery forced him to skip the US Open, the first major he has missed through injury since the 2005 French Open.
"I tried to go out this year and play the grand slams probably at 70 percent really," Hewitt said.
"It's tough to come back from any kind of surgery and especially with my style of game, with a lot of running, scrambling and getting a lot of balls back.
"I'm trying to strengthen the muscles around the hip again. The last couple of weeks have been getting better and better each day."
Hewitt's first tournament in the new year will be the mixed-teams Hopman Cup in Perth, starting on January 3, followed by the Sydney International ahead of the January 19-February 1 Australian Open.
AFP (eurosport.com)
Szczerze mówi±c ju¿ sama nie wierzê w ¿aden wielki powrót Lleytona, a do ¶cis³ej 10 ju¿ napewno. Niech æwiczy ile mo¿e, niech leczy to nieszczêsne biodro, i poka¿e sie z jak najlepszej strony, zw³aszcza na AO, bo tego od niego wszyscy oczekuj±, aczkolwiek jak sam mówi, bedzie w stanie graæ tylko na 70%.
Tak¿e come on na przysz³o¶æ xDD
lepsza przysz³o¶æ, mam nadziejê
Hmm... uraz biodra i to powa¿ny, raczej nie przywróci mu ju¿ tej dawnej dobrej formy, w której gra³ na prawdê dobrze. Chod¿by teraz powróci³ na ¶wiatowe korty, ciê¿ko bêdzie mu siê odrodziæ i zagraæ na maksimum swoich mo¿liwo¶ci. Ale oczywi¶cie nie ¿yczê mu ¼le, oby wraca³ do zrowia i wygra³ jak najwiêcej gemów ;)
Bardzo trafnie ujête - "jak najwiêcej gemów".
Rusty musi tak gadaæ, bo fanów ma bardzo du¿o, ale to chyba raczej podpalanie samego siebie i dodawanie sobie animuszu do walki o powrót. Ju¿ 2-3 lata temu mówi³, ¿e ma przewagê na pocz±tku sezonu, bo nie grywa na jesieñ i jest bardziej wypoczêty ni¿ reszta - ¿ycie pokazywa³o, ¿e myli³ siê okrutnie.
Teraz nie ma przes³anek ku temu, by mog³o byæ lepiej, wrêcz przeciwnie.
Uraz biodra to kontuzja, po której wyleczeniu (z³agodzeniu objawów - tego siê w 100% nie da wyleczyæ) nie wróci³ do wielkiego tenisa chyba jeszcze nikt, a ju¿ na pewno nie w tym wieku. To jedna z najgorszych o ile nie najgorsza z tenisowych kontuzji.
W Lutym Lleyton skoñczy 28 lat, a w po³±czeniu ze stanem zdrowia, stylem gry i posiadaniem do¶æ licznej rodziny (co tu du¿o ukrywaæ, ma³o kto jest w stanie pogodziæ ¿ycie ojca, mê¿a i wyczynowego tenisisty) z góry stawia Kangura na straconej pozycji.
Pojedyncze zrywy bêd± na pewno (vide Kuerten na Rg 04) ale nic poza tym. Do tego mamy najm³odsz± wiekowo Top-10 od 15 lat - nie ma opcji, by siê tam dosta³ schorowany Mistrz :)
Z ¿ycia bardziej prywatnego Lleytona i Bec :
¯ona Hewitta urodzi³a mu syna
¯ona by³ego lidera rankingu tenisistów Australijczyka Lleytona Hewitta, aktorka Rebecca Cartwright urodzi³a mu syna Cruza. To drugie dziecko tej pary, bowiem 29 listopada 2005 roku przysz³a na ¶wiat ich córka Mia Rebecca.
"Wszystko u³o¿y³o siê bardzo dobrze. Jeste¶my bardzo podekscytowani i szczê¶liwi z pojawiania siê nowego cz³onka rodziny" - napisa³ na oficjalnej stronie internetowej australijski tenisista.
Jego syn urodzi³ siê 11 grudnia w Sydney, ale informacja ta pojawi³a siê dopiero we wtorek.
---------
Gratki Lleyton, Bec i Mia ; )
No równie¿ przy³±czam siê do gratulacji Hewitt'owi ;)
Ale teraz ¿eby mu siê tak wiod³o w ¿yciu sportowym... "OBY"
Równie¿ szczerze gratulujê :)
No gratulacjê, te¿ siê dzisiaj o tym dowiedzia³em na pewnej stronie :p
Powodzenia Leyton w tenisie!
DUN I LOVE napisał:
Bardzo trafnie ujête - "jak najwiêcej gemów".
Rusty musi tak gadaæ, bo fanów ma bardzo du¿o, ale to chyba raczej podpalanie samego siebie i dodawanie sobie animuszu do walki o powrót. Ju¿ 2-3 lata temu mówi³, ¿e ma przewagê na pocz±tku sezonu, bo nie grywa na jesieñ i jest bardziej wypoczêty ni¿ reszta - ¿ycie pokazywa³o, ¿e myli³ siê okrutnie.
Teraz nie ma przes³anek ku temu, by mog³o byæ lepiej, wrêcz przeciwnie.
Uraz biodra to kontuzja, po której wyleczeniu (z³agodzeniu objawów - tego siê w 100% nie da wyleczyæ) nie wróci³ do wielkiego tenisa chyba jeszcze nikt, a ju¿ na pewno nie w tym wieku. To jedna z najgorszych o ile nie najgorsza z tenisowych kontuzji.
W Lutym Lleyton skoñczy 28 lat, a w po³±czeniu ze stanem zdrowia, stylem gry i posiadaniem do¶æ licznej rodziny (co tu du¿o ukrywaæ, ma³o kto jest w stanie pogodziæ ¿ycie ojca, mê¿a i wyczynowego tenisisty) z góry stawia Kangura na straconej pozycji.
Pojedyncze zrywy bêd± na pewno (vide Kuerten na Rg 04) ale nic poza tym. Do tego mamy najm³odsz± wiekowo Top-10 od 15 lat - nie ma opcji, by siê tam dosta³ schorowany Mistrz :)
Ojj, smutne ale bardzo trafnie ujêtnie.
Jestem z tych m³odszych fanów tenisa co na New Ballsach siê wychowali, mam wiêc ogromny sentyment do Lleytona, po cichu wierzê w niego, ¿e mo¿e wróci do regularnego grania i w pierwszej 20 siê znajdzie, ale to rzeczywi¶cie takie oszukiwanie siê chyba. Jak s³usznie Dun wspomnia³, Hewitt jest ju¿ po prostu za stary na wielkie wygrywanie :P Sam na pewno te¿ bêdzie mia³ blokadê ¿eby tej nogi zbytnio nie forsowaæ, a przecie¿ jego gra to g³ównie bieganie, bieganie, bieganie..
Tak czy siak, wielkie gratki za tego syna L! :)
http://www.eurosport.yahoo.com/18022009 … ralia.html
Hewitt potwierdzil swoj udzial w barazowych meczach reprezentacji Australii w Pucharze Davisa.
27. Houston
1r. Diego Junqiera 6/0 6/2
1/8 Sergio Roitman 6/1 6/2
QF Guilermo Garcia-Lopez 6/3 6/4
SF Eugeny Korolev 7/6 6/4
F Wayne Odesnik 6/2 7/5
Hewitt Clinches 500th Match Win
Lleyton Hewitt Former two-time ATP World Tour Champion Lleyton Hewitt clinched his 500th tour-level singles match win in dramatic fashion as he saved two match points before prevailing 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-6(7) against German Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday at the BMW Open by FWU AG in Munich.
“I think there are only two other active players have won that many,” said the 28-year-old Hewitt about reaching the 500 wins milestone. “That obviously means I’m getting old. I’ve been around for a long time. It’s something I guess you retire and you look back on it and realise you’ve had a pretty good career. It’s nice to bring up those milestones and be among those caliber of players as well.”
------------------------------------------------
Active Players To Reach 500 Match Wins
Roger Federer 638
Carlos Moya 573
Lleyton Hewitt 500
------------------------------------------------
Hewitt’s 500 match wins include two Grand Slam titles at the 2001 US Open (d. Sampras) and 2002 Wimbledon (d. Nalbandian) and back-to-back Tennis Masters Cup titles in 2001 (d. Grosjean) and ’02 (d. Ferrero).
He finished as the youngest ATP World Tour Champion in 2001 at 20 years and eight months of age, overtaking Gustavo Kuerten who had come into the circuit finale in Sydney with a 48-point lead in the Rankings. In 2002, he became only the fourth player to rank No. 1 for every week during the season.
The Australian, who is making his debut at the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament, looked set for a comfortable victory as he held two match points when serving for victory at 6-2, 5-4, 40/15. However, the 70th-ranked Petzschner hit back to level at 5-5 before taking the tie-break to even the match at one-set all.
The 28-year-old Hewitt looked to have regained control when he opened up a 4-2 lead in the deciding set, but was once again pegged back as the tenacious Petzschner levelled at 4-4. Hewitt held two more match points when Petzschner trailed 4-5, 15/40 and a fifth at advantage later in the same game, but the Adelaide resident failed to convert and was nearly made to pay the price as Petzschner earned two match points at 6-5 and 7-6 in the tie-break. Hewitt denied the German the chance for victory though before sealing the win himself on his seventh opportunity at 9-8 after two hours and 36 minutes.
“I was lucky to get out of there in the end,” said Hewitt. “I just kept hanging in there. Saved a few break points early in the third set and then he played a lot better when he was down in the match. He started going for his shots a lot more. He used his forehand a lot heavier and didn’t make as many easy mistakes. He gave me a lot early mistakes, especially in the first set.”
Hewitt continues to make his comeback from the left-hip surgery he underwent in August 2008. This season he has compiled a 14-9 match record, highlighted by winning his 27th tour-level title at Houston (d. Odesnik) last month.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/1/en … e_3476.asp
Gratulacje Lleyton :)
Tenisowy ¶wiat ju¿ dawno zapomnia³ o Lleytonie Hewitcie, który przed siedmioma laty królowa³ w rankingach. Chyba niepotrzebnie, bo Australijczyk powróci³ w wielkim stylu. Najpierw wygra³ mecz pokazowy z Rafaelem Nadalem, a w czwartek na Wimbledonie pokona³ pi±t± rakietê ¶wiata Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 7-5 7-5.
Pod koniec 2001 roku Llyeton Hewitt zosta³ liderem klasyfikacji generalnej mê¿czyzn.
Przez te dwa sezony Hewitt królowa³ na kortach ca³ego ¶wiata. Wygra³ US Open (2001), gdzie pokona³ samego Pete'a Samprasa, wygra³ Wimbledon (2002), triumfowa³ te¿ w Masters. Sezon 2004 zakoñczy³ ju¿ na trzecim miejscu. Pó¼niej z wielu powodów zacz±³ graæ gorzej.
Do tegorocznego Wimbledonu Hewitt przystêpowa³ jako dopiero 56 rakieta ¶wiata. Ale ju¿ przed turniejem na co¶ siê zanosi³o. Australijczyk pokona³ w grze pokazowej najlepszego obecnie Rafaela Nadala, po czym Hiszpan poinformowa³, ¿e w Anglii nie zagra.
To by³ pierwszy impuls. W czwartek Hewitt pokaza³, ¿e nie by³ to równie¿ przypadek.
W drugiej rundzie turnieju Australijczyk trafi³ na pi±t± rakietê ¶wiata - Argentyñczyka Juana Martina Del Potro.
Mecz trwa³ dwie i pó³ godziny, po czym Del Potro musia³ ze spuszczon± g³ow± opuszczaæ kort, bowiem przegra³ 3-6, 5-7, 5-7.
Czy to pocz±tek nowego, wielkiego Hewitta? Turniej poka¿e.
sport.pl
COA napisał:
Pod koniec 2001 roku Llyeton Hewitt zosta³ liderem klasyfikacji generalnej mê¿czyzn. Na szczycie utrzymywa³ siê jeszcze przez dwa lata - zdetronizowa³ go wtedy Roger Federer.
My¶la³em, ¿e Federer zdetronizowa³ Roddicka.. ;)
Szczerze siê cieszê, ¿e Hewitt wygra³ z Del Potro. Tego typu zwyciêstwa, s± trochê na pocieszenie, po tylu latach zmagañ z kontuzj±. Ale zrobi sobie jeszcze wiêkszy prezent, je¶li wygra kolejne mecze.
Ja zawsze w niego wierzy³em, ju¿ rok temu mia³ zrywy, ale trafi³ na Federera. Teraz mo¿e byæ ju¿ tylko lepiej.
Jules napisał:
Ja zawsze w niego wierzy³em, ju¿ rok temu mia³ zrywy, ale trafi³ na Federera. Teraz mo¿e byæ ju¿ tylko lepiej.
To siê ceni, szczególnie w czasach, gdzie kibice traktuj± do¶c czêsto swoich pupili, jak towar w supermarkecie. Przestanie "smakowac", to zmieniaj± na inny produkt.
Blue napisał:
COA napisał:
Pod koniec 2001 roku Llyeton Hewitt zosta³ liderem klasyfikacji generalnej mê¿czyzn. Na szczycie utrzymywa³ siê jeszcze przez dwa lata - zdetronizowa³ go wtedy Roger Federer.
My¶la³em, ¿e Federer zdetronizowa³ Roddicka.. ;)
Dlatego jak siê daje teksty ze sport.pl, dobrze jest o tym wspomnieæ, ¿eby po ten to na nich by³o. :D
A powrót Hewitta do formy cieszy, New Balls ci±gle w grze.
Wimbledon
Pokona³ Dawida Nalbaldiana
Us Open
Pokonaæ legendê Pete Samprasa i w dodatku przed amerykañsk± publiczno¶ci±:)
Pozytywnie mnie facet zaskakuje. Wydawa³o mi siê, ¿e 28 lat + powa¿ny uraz biodra to ¶miertelna dawka dla zawodowego tenisisty, a tymczasem Lleyton udowodni³ jak wiele mo¿na osi±gn±æ poprzez niebywa³± wolê walki i ciê¿k± pracê.
¯yczê powodzenia w dalszej czê¶ci sezonu ;)
Bêdzie dobrze, tym bardziej, ¿e ma bardzo du¿o pkt. do zyskania. Rok temu ju¿ chyba nie gra³ o tej porze, wiêc w zasadzie ka¿dy wystêp to punkty do rankingu. :cool:
CZyli problemów zdrowotnych jak na razie brak?
Jules napisał:
CZyli problemów zdrowotnych jak na razie brak?
Póki co chyba nic mu nie dolega.
THE LAST TIME... WITH LLEYTON HEWITT
Australian Lleyton Hewitt reveals to DEUCE the last time...
I went to a sporting event other than tennis?
The AFL [Australian Football League] football last year when I had my hip surgery. I went to a lot of the Adelaide Crows games and basically followed them around Australia for a couple of months towards the end of the season.
[/b]I went to a concert?[/b]
Probably about a year or so ago. My wife, Bec, is a big fan of Gwen Stefani and I obviously know Gavin Rossdale extremely well, so when they came to Sydney we were fortunate enough to catch up with them and go to her concert.
I had to pay to hire a tennis court?
That would be years ago! [laughs] I have no idea but it was probably back in the days when I was a member of Seaside Tennis Club in Adelaide and you pay your membership. I’ve had to buy balls in the Bahamas a couple of times when I’ve been there training.
I met a childhood hero?
I met Gavin Rossdale about two years ago. He’s the lead singer of Bush and a mad tennis fan. I met him for the first time at the US Open in New York. Then, when he came to Sydney, we caught up and hit a few balls while Gwen was doing her concert.
I cooked for myself?
I cook barbecues at home quite often, so [in late July, before leaving for Washington, D.C.] I would have cooked a barbecue [in Sydney].
I shared a hotel room with another player?
That would have been a long time ago. That was probably back at the Satellites or Futures back in Australia [laughing] in 1997 or so.
Being recognised helped me?
It probably helps with excess luggage sometimes on airplanes. It obviously helps if they know you a little bit. Coming back from Wimbledon a lot of people know me. There are a lot of Australians in England.
I played a competitive sport other than tennis?
The football matches I played back in 2001 or 2002 for the Adelaide Crows. And we have a bit of a cricket match each year, sometimes with a few of the AFL boys. It’s a very laid back social event more than a very competitive cricket match.
I visited a country for the first time?
I’ll be visiting Kuala Lumpur shortly [for the new ATP World Tour 250 tournament]. I’ve never been to Malaysia. That will be a first for a long time.
I asked someone for an autograph?
The end of last year I asked Rafael Nadal after he won Wimbledon. He signed a racquet for me because my wife and I were doing a charity auction back in Australia.
I was asked to sign something really weird?
Every week you get weird stuff; it’s hard to think exactly what this year. Occasionally, after Davis Cup ties you get some drunk Fanatics wanting to sign their bras or stuff like that! That’s probably the weirdest.
I flew economy?
When I go to the Bahamas most of the time the little planes only have economy.
I had a bad hotel experience?
Occasionally you just get bad room service; I’m not going to bag any hotel in particular! [laughing]
I lost something important?
I’m very good with my stuff! But I lost a whole set of my gut string, I don’t know where it went, which was right before Memphis this year. I had to play and I had to go searching around other players to get some gut string last minute. That was probably as important as it gets.
¯ycze mu jak najlepiej tenis potrzebujê takich "ognistych" zawodników jak Rusty :)
http://www.gerryweber-open.com/de/aktue … 9&monat=10
Lol, Hewitt w 2010 roku zagra w Halle :D Symbol QC ¿egna siê z Londynem - dziwna sytuacja. Przecie¿ w Niemczech gorsza trawa :P
1998 rok
#1 Australian Mens Hardcourt Championships, Adelajda, Australia
F Jason Stoltenberg 3:6, 6:3, 7:6(4)
1999 rok
#2 Delray Beach, USA, World Series
R32 Canas Guillermo (ARG) 6-7 6-2 6-4
R16 Koubek Stefan (AUT) 2-6 6-3 6-4
Q Sargsian Sargis (ARM) 6-3 6-1
S Grosjean Sebastien (FRA) 6-3 6-2
W Malisse Xavier (BEL) 6-4 6-7 6-1
________________________
Davis Cup
1r Zimbabwe 4-1
Q USA 4-1
S Russia 4-1
F France 3-2 
2000
#3 Adelaide, Australia World Series
R32 Mark Woodforde (AUS) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
R16 Dejan Petrovic (AUS) 6-0, 6-2
Quarter Jason Stoltenberg 6-2, 6-2
Semi Final Nicolas Escude 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Final Thomas Enqvist 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 
#4 Adidas, Australia World Series, Sydney
R32 Sebastian Grosjean (FRA) 6-4, 6-4
R16 F. Clavet 6-3, 6-2
Quarters A. Voinea 7-5, 6-2
Semi A. Corretja 6-4, 6-4
FINAL J. Stoltenberg 6-4, 6-0
#5 Franklin Templeton, Scottsdale, Arizona
1 Daniel Vacek(CZE) 6-1, 6-7, 6-2
2 Chris Woodruff(USA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Qtrs M. Rios (CHI) 7-6, 3-2
Semi Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 6-4, 6-2
Final Tim Henman(GB) 6-4, 7-6 
#6 Queens, England
1 David Wheaton 6-4, 6-4
2 Goran Ivanesevic 6-4, 6-4
3 Cedric Pioline 6-4, 6-4
Semi Gianluca Pozzi 6-1, 6-4
FINAL Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-4
_____________________________________
# 1 US Open Mens Doubles Championship (with Max Mirnyi)
# 2 Indianapolis Tennis Championships
Lleyton Hewitt & Sandon Stolle def. Jonas Bjorkman & Max Mimyi
3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(2)
2001
#7 Adidas International Sydney
1 Wayne Arthurs 6-7, 7-6, 6-2
2 Andrew Ilie 6-4, 6-1
Qtr Fabrice Santoro 6-4, 6-1
Semi Sebastian Grosjean 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Final Magnus Norman 6-4, 6-1
#8 Queens England
1 bye
2 X Malisse 6-3 6-4
3 B. Black 6-3 6-2
Qtr G. Rusedski 6-4 6-4
Semi P. Sampras 3-6 6-3 6-2
Final T. Henman W 7-6 7-6 
#9 Ordina Open, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
1 D. Sanguinetti 6-2 6-1
2 G. Ivanesvic 6-4 7-5
Qtr G. Elseneer 6-2 6-4
Semi R. Federer 6-4 6-2
Final G. Canas W 6-3 6-4
#10 US Open Flushing Meadow, NYC
1 Magnus Gustafsson 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
2 James Blake 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-3 6-0
3 Albert Portas 6-1 6-3 6-4 4
Tommy Haas 3-6 7-6 6-4 6-2
Qtr Andy Roddick 6-7 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-4
Semi Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-1 6-2 6-1
Final Pete Sampras W 7-6 6-1 6-1
#11 Japan Open Tokyo
1 bye
2 Marc-Kevin Goellner 6-2 6-2
3 Michael Russell 6-1 6-1
Qtr Francisco Clavet 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Semi James Blake 6-4 6-0
Final Michael Kratchovil 6-4 6-2
#12 Masters Cup,Sydney
1 Sebastian Grosjean 3-6 6-2 6-3
2 Andre Agassi 6-3 6-4
3 Pat Rafter 6-3 6-4
Semi Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4 6-3
Final Sebastian Grosjean 6-3 6-3 6-4
2001 World No 1
2002
# 13 Siebel Open San Jose
1 Michael Llodra 6-2 3-6 6-2
2 Paradorn Srichaphan 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (6)
Q Todd Martin 6-3 7-5
S Jan Michael Gambill 7-5 6-4
F Andre Agassi 4-6 7-6 7-6 
#14 Masters Series Indian Wells
1 Carlos Moya 6-4 6-4
2 Andrei Pavel 4-6 6-3 6-0
3 Jan Michael Gambill 6-2 6-4
Q Thomas Enqvist 6-4 6-4
S Pete Sampras 6-2 6-4
F Tim Henman 6-1 6-2 
#15 Queens UK
1 bye
2 Mardy Fish 7-5 6-3
3 Olivier Rochus 6-2 6-1
Q Todd Martin 7-6(4) 7-5
S Sjeng Schalken 7-6(4), 6-3
F Tim Henman 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 
#16 Wimbledon
1 Jonas Bjorkman 6-4 7-5 6-1
2 Gregory Carraz 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-2
3 Julian Knowle 6-2 6-1 6-3
4 Mikael Youzhny 6-3 6-3 7-5
Q Sjeng Schalken 6-2 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 1-6 7-5
S Tim Henman 7-5 6-1 7-5
F David Nalbandian W 6-1 6-3 6-2
#17 Masters Cup Shanghai
RR1 Albert Costa 6-2 3-6 6-4
RR2 Carlos Moya 4-6 5-7
RR3 Marat Safin 6-4 2-6 6-4
Semi Roger Federer 7-5 5-7 7-5
Final Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 7-5 2-6 2-6 6-4 
2002 World No.1
2003
#18 Franklin Templeton Classic, Scottsdale, USA
1 Fernando Vicente 6-3 6-4
2 Wayne Ferreira 7-5 6-1
Q Alex Corretja 6-4 6-2
S Taylor Dent 6-2 6-4
F M Philippoussis 6-4 6-4 
#19 Indian Wells USA
1 Y El Aynaoui 4-6 7-5 6-2
2 Y Kafelnikov 6-3 6-2
3 G Coria 6-7 6-4 6-3
Q R Ginepri 6-4 6-2
S V Spadea 7-6 6-1
F G Kuerten 6-1 6-1
__________________________________________
Davis Cup
Melbourne Australia
1r Great Britain 4-1
Q Sweden 5-0
S Switzerland 3-2
F Spain 3/1 
2004
#20 Addidas International, Sydney, Aus
1 Sargis Sargsian 6-4 6-2
2 Karol Kucera 6-4 6-1
Q Arnaud Clement 6-1 4-6 6-3
S Martin Verkerk 6-2 ret
F C Moya 4-3 ret
#21 ABN Amro World Tennis, Rotterdam,
1 F Gonzales 6-2 6-2
2 T Johansson
Q R Schuettler 7-6 6-3
S T Henman 6-3 6-3
F Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7 7-5 6-4 
#22 Legg Mason Classic Washington DC
1 Ken Carlsen 6-1 6-2
2 Alejandro Falla 6/3 6/2
Q C Saulnier 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5)
S R Ginepri 6-3 6-4
F Luis Horna 6-3 6-1
#23 TD Waterhouse Cup Long Island USA
1 O Mutis 7-6 6-1
2 Michael Llodra 6-1 6-4
Q JC Chela 6-7 6-1 6-1
S D Tursunov 6-3 1-0 ret
F Gilles Muller 6-3 6-4
2005
#24 Medibank International, Sydney, AUS
1 Karol Beck 6-1 6-2
2 Arnaud Clement 6-2 6-4
Q Thomas Johansson 6-1 7-6(4)
S Max Mirnyi 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2
F Ivo Minar 7-5 6-0 
2006
#25 Stella Artois Championships, Queen's Club, Londyn, ENG
1 bye
2 Fernando Vicente 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
3 Max Mirnyi 4-6 6-1 7-6(4)
Q Rafael Nadal 3-6 6-3 ret
S Tim Henman 6-3 3-6 6-2
F James Blake 6-4 6-4
2007
#26 Tennis Channel Open, Las Vegas, USA
RR Spadea, Vincent (USA) 6-3 6-3
RR Johansson, Thomas (SWE) 4-6 7-5 6-2
Q Lopez, Feliciano (ESP) 6-3 6-2
S Safin, Marat (RUS) 7-5 6-1
F Melzer, Jurgen (AUT) 6-4 7-6(10)
2009
#27 US Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, U.S.A.
R32 Diego Junqueira (ARG) 6-0, 6-2
R16 Sergio Roitman (ARG) 6-1, 6-3
Q Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4
S Evgeny Korolev (RUS) 7-6(4), 6-4
W Wayne Odesnik (USA) 6-2, 7-5
CDN !
Sezon 2009 w liczbach
Ranking: 7
Tytu³y: 1 (Houston)
Fina³y: 0
Bilans spotkañ: 34-20
Zarobki: $682,947
AO - 1 Runda
RG - 3 Runda
WM - 1/4 fina³u
US - 3 Runda
http://sport.onet.pl/74445,1248732,2102 … omosc.html
Hewitt: chcê wróciæ do grona najlepszych
Australijczyk Lleyton Hewitt wyzna³, ¿e w nadchodz±cym sezonie ma zamiar powalczyæ o trzeci wielkoszlemowy tytu³ w karierze.
28-letni zawodnik w 2001 roku zwyciê¿y³ w US Open, a rok pó¼niej triumfowa³ w Wimbledonie. Na drodze dalszych sukcesów utalentowanego tenisisty stanê³y liczne kontuzje. Rok 2009 zakoñczy³ na 22. miejscu w rankingu ATP, g³ównie dziêki wspó³pracy z trenerem Nathanem Healey'em.
- Bardzo chcia³bym wróciæ do pi±tki najlepszych tenisistów na ¶wiecie. Oczywi¶cie priorytetem jest dla mnie wygranie turnieju wielkoszlemowego. Australian Open oraz Wimbledon to nie tylko moje ulubione imprezy, ale tak¿e Nathana. Dlatego te¿ w³a¶nie tam postaram siê poszukaæ swojej szansy na triumf - stwierdzi³ Hewitt.
Hewitt ready for fast start at Hopman Cup
Lleyton Hewitt will put five weeks of training in Sydney to the test this weekend when the two-time Grand Slam champion begins Australia's campaign at the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth.
The former No. 1 will team with French Open semifinalist Samantha Stosur as the host nation makes a bid for only their second title at the eight-nation team event.
Australia, the top seed, begin on opening day at the Burswood Dome against Romania with Victor Hanescu and teenaged talent Sorana Cirstea, ranked 45th on the WTA Tour.
Hewitt, now based in the Bahamas, has spent the southern summer holiday season training on the east coast with good mate and new coach Nathan Healey, a former rival early in his career. Healey and Hewitt teamed earlier in 2009 after Hewitt parted company with longtime mentor Tony Roche.
"The Australian summer is obviously the main priority, trying to get ready for the Hopman Cup and then obviously Sydney leading into the Australian Open in Melbourne," Hewitt said on his website.
"That's where we want to get the damage done. I'd love to get back into the top five as soon as possible. Obviously the four majors for us is the priority."
Hewitt had to quit the Hopman last January after picking up an ear infection at the resort swimming pool.
Hewitt: I'm as fit as ever
Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt says he is fitter than he has been for several years and primed for a serious assault on the Grand Slam title he most craves, the Australian Open.
Speaking after arriving on for Saturday's opener in the mixed teams Hopman Cup, where he and Samantha Stosur are top seeds, Hewitt said he had overcome the injuries that have plagued him in recent years and was in peak condition for the Open in late January.
Hewitt, a dual Grand Slam winner, slipped out of the top 100 early this year as he battled his way back from a major hip problem, but during 2009 clawed his way up the rankings to finish the season at 22.
The 28-year-old Australian has never made a secret of his burning desire to claim his home grand slam and although many believe the veteran's chance has passed - his loss to Marat Safin in an epic 2005 final his best effort - Hewitt said he was ready to make a major impact in Melbourne.
"A lot depends on the draw. At least I will be seeded and hopefully I get a smooth passage through," he said of his Australian Open prospects.
"If I can get through the first week and put myself in a position in the second week, there is no reason I can't do some damage.
"I feel as fit and strong as I have ever been and I am hitting the ball well at the moment.
"If the body holds up, there is no reason I can't give all these guys a run."
Hewitt has been working with a fitness trainer from Sydney and said he had been building towards the Australian summer for the last three months, having not played since early October.
"Fitness-wise I am as good as I have ever been.... I feel really good.
"I have been doing the hard yards on and off the practice court and have a good team behind me and we feel like we have done everything right.
"It is a matter now of going out there.... I have been waiting the last three months to get out on the court and play these tournaments and get into it," said Hewitt.
"Melbourne in a couple of weeks' time is the big one that you want to be peaking for."
Hewitt dismissed suggestions his best tennis was behind him, pointing out that he was highly competitive in the Grand Slams this year.
"This year in the majors it took the best guys to beat me," he said.
"I lost a tight one to Gonzalez, and then (Andy) Roddick, (Rafael) Nadal and (Roger) Federer are the other three that beat me in the Grand Slams.
"If I keep putting myself in that position things will turn around."
Hewitt and Stosur open their Hopman Cup campaign against Romanians Sorana Cirstea and Victor Hanescu on Saturday.
Hew dares wins
LLEYTON Hewitt is trudging along Sydney's Palm Beach, lugging rubber tubes filled with sand and water.
His battered body, rejuvenated by time away from the tennis circuit and full recovery from surgery to his left hip, stands up to the rigours devised by trainer Nathan Martin.
Hewitt has one thing in mind, and it is not retirement. Now free of pain, the South Australian has an eye on the prize he wants most - the Australian Open crown.
It is a minor medical miracle that Hewitt is again preparing to tackle the Open. The January 18-31 grand slam at Melbourne Park will be his 14th. He is 28 and a survivor.
Hewitt smiles at the memories of the torture he endured on sand.
As sapping as it was, it was much better than the torment he faced in 2008 when, for a time, he considered forced retirement after hip soreness became too much to bear.
There were two low points.
"The Olympics was really tough because I won my first round and then had to play my doubles that night and we (Hewitt and Chris Guccione) finished at two o'clock in the morning," he said.
"It was a really long third set (18-16 against Agustin Calleri and Juan Monaco) and straight after the match I couldn't walk.
"My whole hip just shut down and knowing that the next night at seven o'clock I would be playing Rafa (Rafael Nadal).
"I couldn't walk, I couldn't warm up for the match or anything.
"I really shouldn't have taken to the court but it's the Olympics and you don't know if you're going to be around for another one.
"Up until then we were putting off the surgery because we weren't 100 per cent sure on what the actual problem was. We had to go in and have a look once we got to that stage.
"I was hitting the ball well enough in practice but there were certain aspects I couldn't do on a match court, certain movements, which was hurting my whole game.
"It really showed up at Wimbledon last year. I was competitive for a set and a half against Rog (Roger Federer) in the fourth round.
"Then I couldn't start moving out wide to my forehand at all because of my hip and he could see that.
"He played on it and opened up the court. That was frustrating for me.
"The hunger and that was still there because I knew I was actually still striking the ball really well.
"So once I made that decision to have surgery I was pretty sure that I was going to be hungry to get back."
Surgery meant Hewitt missed the US Open, scene of his grand slam singles breakthrough in 2001.
"Watching the US Open last year when I couldn't play it, I was pissed off," he said. "I didn't want to watch it, I didn't want to see any of it.
"That told me as well that I was still hungry to go out there and compete and that I missed it."
In fact, it was only the start of Hewitt's travails.
With his ranking slipping, he was at the mercy of the draw at the Australian Open last year and was duly dealt a cruel hand in the first round - Chile's Fernando Gonzalez.
Hewitt lost a gruelling five-setter. The consequences were dire.
"Losing to Gonzalez at the Australian Open, he's a solid player, a top-15, top-12 player and I was only a couple of points away from winning, and that made my ranking drop down to outside 100," Hewitt said.
"You really have to work hard to get back and it was in Memphis where I really started to play well. I beat (James) Blake in a great first-round match and that gave me a lot of confidence.
"Then it all sort of came together.
"Then came the claycourt season where I played extremely well.
"Wimbledon was obviously the highlight of the year and really was only one point away from beating (Andy) Roddick (in the quarter-finals), I had break point to go up 4-2 in the fifth set.
Hewitt has seldom looked better physically.
He is in similar shape to 2005 when he reached the Australian Open final.
As an athlete who relies on slick movement to succeed, Hewitt understands the perils of getting slower.
"If you can't move as well as you want to, it's frustrating and there's no point playing," he said
"Mentally, you've got to be motivated to do the work and put in the hard yards.
"I still think I probably work harder than anybody else on the tour at the moment. As long as my hunger is there to do that, things are going all right."
Hewitt says his move to Nassau in the Bahamas will extend his career.
"You got to look at the big picture. Life's changing all the time. With (wife) Bec and now the two kids (Mia and Cruz), it's the best move for my tennis," he said.
"You get stiff after a long flight at the best of times, even when you're 19 or 20, let alone when you're 28, 29 years old. For me to be able to cut back that travel time, to be able to pick and choose my tournaments, maybe play a bit more in the States at times, it makes it a lot easier."
Hewitt is certain about most of the aspects of his methodology.
Few players boast his powers of observation but not even the eagle-eyed baseliner can forecast what an Australian Open victory would mean.
"I don't know what would happen if I won at Melbourne Park, but I'd be drunk for about a year I'd reckon," Hewitt said.
"I wouldn't know until I got into that actual position.
"If that happened, I reckon I wouldn't play too many tournaments for 2010, maybe Wimbledon and the Masters Cup.
"To be honest, I can't tell you if I would (retire) or not."
Hewitt says he's still got a lot of grand slams left in him
Melbourne, Jan.2 (ANI): Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt still believes that he has a lot to achieve in the sport, including grabbing some more grand slams.
When his troublesome hip finally gave way at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 he was faced with a hard decision, to go on or give it away
It had been seven years since he sat atop the rankings and six years since he lifted a grand slam trophy.
These - the big prizes - had always been what motivated him. The other great motivator had been Davis Cup but that, too, was a past glory.
"I could have gone through life, retired from tennis, and it [the hip] wouldn't have been a problem," the Daily Telegraph quotes him, as saying.
He had a lot of points to defend and knew that the comeback from surgery would most likely see him drop outside the top 100 (he fell as far as 108).
He had a wife and was expecting his second child, he was sick of travelling and waking up in hotels without them.
What made him keep going when everything seemed to point him in the opposite direction?
"I still think there are grand slams still in me," he says.
"If you keep putting yourself in that position, you will get your chance. There is still unfinished business," he added.
With long-time fired Nathan Healey as his coach and David Drysdale as his manager, Hewitt believes he has the required backup to see him achieve his remaining goals in tennis.
"It has taken the best guys to beat me, basically every time," he says. "If you keep putting yourself in that position, time after time laying it on the line, eventually you will get your chance and it is going to open up. There is still unfinished business," he says.
Now ranked 22, he believes again that he can beat the very best, although it is six years now since he last vanquished Federer.
Asked how he wished to be remembered when his career is over, Hewitt said as a fierce competitor, who never gave up and produced his best when representing his country.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2010/01/ … 89926.html
Ekskluzywny wywiad z Australijczykiem.
Australian Open - Lleyton Hewitt confident for Melbourne despite injury scare
Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt will be fit to compete at this month's Australian Open despite an injury scare at the Hopman Cup.
The 28-year-old Australian had treatment on his lower back at the end of the first set of his 6-2 6-4 defeat by Spain's Tommy Robredo.
Hewitt came back out to play the mixed doubles, which Australia lost in a final set tiebreak to complete a 3-0 defeat by Spain at the mixed team event, and then said he expected to be fine for Melbourne.
"On the second point I had a back spasm and I was a bit worried at first," Hewitt said.
"It was frustrating because I couldn't really compete but it loosened up a bit in the second set. I had some massage and I am sure it will be fine."
Hewitt also appeared to be clutching his right hip, the same part of his body he had surgery on in 2008, but said the problems were more in his back.
The former Wimbledon and US Open champion is due to play in the ATP event in Sydney starting on Sunday.
"I am sure by the time I play my first match in Sydney, I'll be good to go," he said.
Hewitt climbed back to number 22 in the rankings last year and will be seeded for the year's first grand slam event, which begins on January 18.
Having won two of his three singles matches in Perth, he said the Hopman Cup has provided the ideal preparation despite Australia's failure to make the final.
"The reason we come here is to get a guaranteed three matches," he said. "I got that and I feel like if can get a few matches in Sydney next week then I'll have enough practice by Melbourne.
"If I can get through the first week and put myself in position in the second week, then the draw could open up, so you never know."
11 stycznia 2010 - mija 12 lat, od momentu kiedy 16-letni Lleyton Hewitt wygra³ swój pierwszy tytu³ w cyklu ATP> Sta³o siê to w rodzimej Adelajdzie- edycja 1998.
1998 – Lleyton Hewitt wins his first ATP singles title as a 16-year-old wild card ranked No. 550 in the world, defeating fellow Australian Jason Stoltenberg 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) at the Australian Men’s Hard Court Championships in his hometown of Adelaide. At the age of 16 years, 11 months, Hewitt becomes the youngest player to win an ATP singles title since Michael Chang, at the age of 16 years, eight months, wins the title in San Francisco in 1988. Says Stoltenberg after the match, “He just played like a 16-year-old. You do what comes naturally rather than thinking what you should do.”
Lleyton Hewitt hankers to be a big gun again
LLEYTON Hewitt will start the climb back into the world's top 10 as he attempts a record fifth Sydney International crown this week.
The winner of the title in 2000-01 and 2004-05, Hewitt returns to his favourite ATP World Tour hunting ground with an eye on the champion's prize - and the other on next week's Australian Open in Melbourne.
No player has won five titles in Sydney since professionals were allowed back onto the regular circuit in 1968, when tennis was declared "open".
Again hesitant over the likelihood of playing at the strife-ridden Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, Hewitt was far more positive over returning to the elite.
"I'd love the body to hold up and if the body does hold up, I'd want to look at the top 10 for sure," the world No. 22 said.
"There's no reason why I can't compete.
"I pride myself on playing well at the four big tournaments (Wimbledon, Australian, French and US Open).
"That's where it counts for me. And the last few years, the only guys who have beaten me are the top handful of guys."
Hewitt will not have to deal this week with the players - Fernando Gonzalez (Australian), Rafael Nadal (French), Andy Roddick (Wimbledon) and Roger Federer (US Open) - who knocked him out of major contention last year.
He will have to be at his best to land his 28th singles title.
"I could play (Andrea) Seppi, who I lost to in a very tight match a few years ago after having match points," Hewitt said. "That's going to be a tough match if he beats a qualifier to get through.
"It's a good strong field."
Top seed Gael Monfils will test his shoulder today before deciding whether he will compete.
The Frenchman is coached by Hewitt's former mentor Roger Rasheed.
Hewitt downplayed his physical concerns, saying the back spasm that inconvenienced him at last week's Hopman Cup was not an issue.
"I never felt it was that big of a concern," he said.
Hewitt remains pessimistic about playing in Delhi amid security concerns.
"I didn't even know tennis was in the Commonwealth Games until a month or so ago," he said. "Scheduling is a dilemma.
"Security is in the back of my mind. I don't think any federation would put a player in an awkward situation."
Strasznie siê wygadany Lleyton zrobi³ ostatnimi czasy i cele jakie ambitne. :] ¯eby tylko nie by³o w IV rundzie AO wielkiego zdziwienia po ugraniu kilku gemów z kim¶ z czo³ówki. :]
Juz samo zrobienie IV rundy bedzie sporym sukcesem. Zle wylosuje i juz wczesniej moga byc problemy.
Hard road ahead for Lleyton Hewitt
IT'S been more than three years since Lleyton Hewitt was ranked in the top 10, yet it may take only three weeks to determine if he is likely to reach those heights again.
The former world No. 1 begins his tilt at a fifth Sydney International title when he takes on Italian Andreas Seppi today, the start of a crucial period in the twilight of his career.
Hewitt last sat among the world's elite in June 2006 when he was ranked No. 9.
A combination of injuries and being outmuscled by a new generation led to him at one stage slipping out of the top 100.
On the back of a strong finish to last year, the South Australian has risen to No. 22 in the world, but now the real work begins.
A semi-final appearance or better at Homebush would be the perfect start for Hewitt, who has no points to defend at the Australian Open after his first-round loss to Fernando Gonzalez last year.
Reaching the final in Sydney and a fourth round or better result at Melbourne Park should have Hewitt well ensconced in the top 20.
While Seppi holds a 2-1 career record against the two-time grand slam winner, Hewitt has been looking sharp in practice, seemingly embracing the hot conditions with a series of warm-up matches against Tomas Berdych and Julien Benneteau.
He appears fully recovered from the back spasms that troubled him during last week's Hopman Cup.
Hewitt may well find himself in a familiar position before he even hits a ball - as the last Australian man in the draw.
Loss 'no drama' says Lleyton Hewitt
LLEYTON Hewitt's bid for a fifth Sydney International crown was ended last night by the man who had his own Australian Open dream snatched by Hewitt in 2008.
Cypriot crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis avenged his heartbreaking Open loss to Hewitt two years ago by coming from a set down to win 4-6 6-2 6-3 and reach the semi-finals.
Riding the support of many in a divided Ken Rosewell Arena, the world No. 45 raised the power and intensity in the second set to break Hewitt three times and kept his foot on the throat to snatch two more breaks in the third set.
After the match, a surprisingly upbeat Hewitt claimed he was merely using the match to test out some new moves.
"I'm not that disappointed really," Hewitt said.
"I was trying a few different things out there today, just mixing up the game a little bit and hopefully it will hold me in good stead for next week.
"I've just got to go out there and be positive and trust how I was playing. Obviously the first set and a half I played well.
"I tried mixing it up, a bit of serve-volleying, slicing a little bit more, doing a few different things and hopefully it will pay off next week."
And while he failed to improve on last year's result in Sydney and lost the opportunity for more match practice ahead of the Open, Hewitt said it mattered little going into the first major of the year.
"It's definitely not a major drama the week before a slam," he said.
"A lot of people question whether playing four or five extremely tough matches in heat is the best preparation anyway. For me, it's (losing) not a huge drama.
"After you come back from injuries and you've been world No. 1 and won slams before, that's what drives me, tournaments like next week.
"I'll be doing everything in my power to get through the first week and we'll see what happens."
Hewitt was really left with no excuses yesterday after getting away to a perfect start.
He looked to be in control when he broke Baghdatis in the third game of the second set with a superb cross court forehand winner on the run.
But from there the 2006 Australian Open finalist cranked up the heat.
The signs looked ominous for Hewitt early in the third set when he double faulted the first point on his opening service game and only just held on to win the game.
But when Baghdatis held the following game with a super forehand volley to close out an absorbing rally, Hewitt failed to respond in the next game and was broken.
With pockets of Cypriot fans continually chanting in response to Hewitt's fans the atmosphere resembled a football match.
Ogladalem wczoraj Rusty'ego i zal przyznac ale to cien gracza ktorego plakaty zdobily moj pokoj niczym swiatynie ,
a na podworkowym korcie krzyczalem glosne kam±±± tak ze okoliczne bloki sluszaly ten dzwiek ;)
Dzisiaj z Leytona zostal juz weteran ktory sie bawi tenisem , ogladalem wczorajszy mecz z Bagieta i szczerze nie
wroze nic wiecej niz 3 runda. Jak trafi sie ktos konkretny to moze i wczesniej nastapi koniec tunieju dla Hewitta,
tak jak rok temu gdy rozstrzelal go pewien jegomosc z Santiago de Chile :)
Hewitt unflustered by tough draw
It’s five years since then world No.4 Marat Safin defeated determined Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the final of Australian Open 2005. The win, watched by more than four million Australians, crushed local hopes of a fairytale finish like one of the burly Russian’s errant racquets.
Today, heading into his 14th Australian Open campaign, Hewitt says his game hasn’t changed “a whole heap” since that memorable night.
“Yeah, you're always trying to improve and work on little areas of your game,” Hewitt told the media ahead of his first match on Tuesday.
“In terms of playing, I still know my A-game. Yeah, if we're trying to add a few little things on the side of that, that's more to help out and maybe not be as predictable.
“I'm still as patient I think as anyone out there. I like to think I play the percentages as well as anyone, as well.”
Hewitt will open his Melbourne Park campaign against under-the-radar Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar, who battled his way through qualifying this week at Melbourne Park.
“Qualifiers are always tough. Over five sets, though, I'm going to get a feel for him. Throughout the first set, anyway.
“But going out on the court, I'll be concentrating on my game. If I take care and execute the things I want to do, then I’ve got a good feeling I can get through it.”
If Hewitt does get through the match, as expected, and makes it to the third round, he may face his conqueror from this week’s Medibank International in Sydney, Marcos Baghdatis. A likely fourth-round meeting with Roger Federer would be next on his agenda, but Hewitt isn’t fussed by his difficult draw.
“Grand Slams, there's no easy draws, mate. Everyone is here to win. You have to win seven matches to win these tournaments over five sets. Anything can happen.”
Hewitt spent yesterday practising with tall Czech Tomas Berdych ahead of participating in the Hit for Haiti benefit today at Rod Laver Arena.
“I hit the ball extremely well yesterday in practice. Couldn't have been happier the way I hit it. As I said, I've done all [the] hard work,” he said.
“Now it's a matter of going on the match court (and) hopefully executing and doing the things that me and my team will talk about before the match.”
Hewitt will be hoping to go further than he did last year – he was knocked out in the first round by 2007 finalist Fernando Gonzalez in five tough sets – at his home major.
“It's still a great excitement every time I come here. I love walking down the corridors, walking onto centre court,” he said.
“I've got a lot of great memories from this place, playing at Melbourne Park. They all come back when you walk through the corridors.”
Hewitt will be hoping to add one more great memory to that already long list before he bids his final farewell to Melbourne Park, not that the thought of retirement has crossed the 28-year-old’s mind.
“It's not something I'm thinking about. I haven't thought about it in the past. This year's no different. I'm not thinking about that right at the moment.”
ao.com
Przed AO - wywiad z Lleytonem Hewittem.
An interview with:
LLEYTON HEWITT
Q. How are you feeling ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year? Happy with your preparation?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you know, I've got the matches under my belt that I think I needed. Yeah, going into the Hopman Cup, I hadn't played a competitive match in two and a half, three months. It was good to get those three tough matches, then another couple of tough matches in Sydney. Some indoors in Hopman Cup, then a couple of outdoor matches.
So yeah, all things are pretty good at the moment.
Q. Some of the other top players seem to prefer the exhibition events before the Aussie Open. You seem to prefer having competitive matches. Do you think that makes a difference?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, for me it's a little bit of both. Obviously, the Hopman Cup is an exhibition at the start of the year. I play a tour tournament the week after. I've always played well in Sydney. I always enjoy playing at Homebush. The conditions there, obviously I've been based in Sydney for a few years as well, it's like home for me going out there and playing at Homebush. I just feel comfortable with the environment there. It's always nice to go back to somewhere you've played well in the past.
Q. What do you know of your first opponent?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not a lot at the moment, so...
Q. How do you go about getting the homework done?
LLEYTON HEWITT: My group, you know, Heals will have a look at probably some tape, find out as much as we can. I've spoken to a couple of people that have played him already the last year or so.
Qualifiers are always tough. Over five sets, though, I'm going to get a feel for him. Throughout the first set anyway. So it's a little bit just getting a feel for him once I'm out there.
But going out on the court, I'll be concentrating on my game. If I take care and execute the things I want to do, then I got a good feeling I can get through it.
Q. People talk about the danger of playing those qualifiers; three matches under their belt. Is that an issue, do you think?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, they're always tough because they've come through quallies and they've done it the hard way and they have won matches. You know, a lot of times it's quite close matches in quallies as well. A few three‑set matches, they've been in that situation, they're used to the conditions, they've got very little to lose when they get in the main draw. For them it's a main bonus just to get into the tournament. So you can't take any of them lightly.
Q. Your thoughts on the draw? Looking ahead, it probably hasn't been as kind to you as it could be. Pretty tough quarter of the draw. Your thoughts on what lies ahead?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I've got to get through my first round and see what happens after that. But, yeah, Grand Slams, there's no easy draws, mate. Everyone is here to win. You have to win seven matches to win these tournaments over five sets. Anything can happen.
Q. You love this tournament. You've been coming here since you were a kid. At this end of your career when you come here, does it ever occur to you this might be the last one you play or do you sort of presume you'll be back next year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's not something I'm thinking about. I haven't thought about it in the past. This year's no different (smiling). I'm not thinking about that right at the moment.
Yeah, it's still a great excitement every time I come here. I love walking down the corridors, walking onto center court. Yeah, I've played so many big matches, but not only in this particular tournament, in Davis Cups as well, Davis Cup final out there on center court. Yeah, I've got a lot of great memories from this place, playing at Melbourne Park. They all come back when you walk through the corridors out on center court.
Q. How do you feel physically? You've had a couple of niggles over the summer. Are you feeling a hundred percent?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just had a bit of a back spasm in Perth obviously. Yeah, I was in a match that didn't really matter at all. I wasn't going to make things worse in that match.
Yeah, Sydney I felt pretty good. I hit the ball extremely well yesterday in practice. Couldn't have been happier the way I hit it. As I said, I've done all hard work. Now it's a matter of going on the match court, hopefully executing and doing the things that me and my team will talk about before the match.
If I play my game and play as well as I know I can and the way I'm hitting the ball, yeah, I've got a chance.
Q. We always ask this time of year the conditions, the speed of the court, the balls and everything. How do they compare to last year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's probably hard to tell a little bit. The balls could be a little bit not fluffing up quite as much as last year. It's hard to tell, though. Center court gets resurfaced a lot later than a lot of the other courts, as well. Yesterday was really my only first hit out on center court, on any court at Melbourne Park.
Yeah, it's hard to tell. I'd say it's probably a medium‑paced court.
Q. Are you looking forward to the Hit for Haiti this afternoon?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's something I got asked about late yesterday afternoon. Yeah, it's always nice to try and raise some money. Obviously it's going to a great cause, as well. There's a lot of good players put their hands up to help out, especially only a few hours before a slam starts as well. So it's a big effort.
Q. How are you a different player now than to the way you played in 2005?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not sure. Not a whole heap, I wouldn't say. Yeah, you're always trying to improve and work on little areas of your game. But, you know, obviously I had a few setbacks with injuries and having surgery and stuff like that. So, you know, your training sometimes alters a little bit compared to some of the stuff you may have done before.
But it's a management thing as well. As you get older, you start getting a few niggles, you have to work around that. In terms of playing, I still know my A Game. Yeah, if we're trying to add a few little things on the side of that, that's more to help out and maybe not be as predictable.
But as a whole, I've still got areas of my game I feel like I can take to another level.
Q. Shorten points or anything...
LLEYTON HEWITT: No. I'm still as patient I think as anyone out there. I like to think I play the percentages as well as anyone, as well.
Q. A lot of people have been talking about Rafa this year after the last six months. Do you think a lot of that aura he had over players is dented? Does he seem more beatable than he has in the past?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. The guys he's only lost to have been quality players. Obviously, Davydenko got his number a couple of times towards the end of the year. Davydenko was playing incredible tennis. He got Roger's number, a lot of the top guys.
Rafa lost to Del Potro. Del Potro went on to win the US Open in that same tournament. He's not losing to bad players. Yeah, he's always going to be around the mark. He's a quality player. He's one of the best players going around. Yeah, it's going to take a good player to beat him.
Q. Have you given Peter any tips on how to tackle him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I've spoken to Pete a little bit about it. Just more about, yeah, this is what you play for. A guy from Victoria that, you know, grew up playing juniors here in Melbourne, would have aspired to one day play on center court at the Australian Open, get a night match on the first night against one of the greatest players to play the game, this is what you play for.
So he'll enjoy it. He'll put up a great effort. Yeah, hopefully he can surprise a few people.
Q. Do you think Davydenko might be the biggest threat?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think his best result is a semi. He hasn't made a final yet. I think there's a question mark over him in terms of that, to put seven five‑set matches back to back against quality players.
But he's obviously hitting the ball extremely well, there's no doubt about that. Whether he can do that back to back, match after match, that's another question.
Q. There's always a lot of expectation put on you this time of year. Do you think this year some of that has shifted to Sam Stosur?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't focus on it at all. Yeah, obviously since Pat retired and Flip had a few injuries and hasn't been playing the slams, obviously the focus, because I've sort of been the only guy until this year in the top hundred in the world, as well, and getting in straight off ranking. Yeah, there's obviously going to be more expectation.
But for me it's still the same. I still prepare exactly the same as I would for any other tournament. I try and do all the right things. You know, I don't feel any more expectation.
Lleyton Hewitt earns praise from Andre Agassi
FORMER great Andre Agassi has hailed Lleyton Hewitt as one of the "best shot selectors in the history of tennis".
Agassi's praise, contained in the American's controversial autobiography Open, comes a week after Hewitt was lauded as the third-best player of the decade behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal by the ATP World Tour.
Agassi said much of Hewitt's on-court intelligence was attributable to Darren Cahill, the South Australian who coached both men to grand slam titles and the world No. 1 ranking.
Agassi said Cahill's desire to have his former charge Hewitt beaten in the 2002 US Open semi-finals, after switching to the Agassi camp, was an extra boost for the American in New York.
Hewitt is one of several Australians to draw praise from Agassi, including Pat Rafter, Mark Philippoussis and Jason Stoltenberg.
Australian Open - Hewitt aiming for Oz title
The competitive fires still burn deep inside of Lleyton Hewitt whatever his injury-ravaged body may tell him.
The feisty Australian has not won a Grand Slam title since 2002 and has steadily slid down the world rankings with injuries and the demands of fatherhood taking their toll.
He was off the circuit for five months in 2008 after undergoing hip surgery and has been troubled by niggles ever since, including a back spasm at this month's Hopman Cup.
But the former world number one has never given up hope of making it back to the top, driven by his dream to win the Australian Open.
He has already won Wimbledon and the US Open but the closest he has come to winning his home Slam was when he made the final in 2005.
"I love walking down the corridors, walking onto centre court," he said. "I've got a lot of great memories from this place, playing at Melbourne Park.
"They all come back when you walk through the corridors out on center court."
Hewitt has hardly rated a mention in the run-up to this year's Australian Open, which starts on Monday, and is wary about his aching body but the 28-year-old father of two is no less enthusiastic.
"You're always trying to improve and work on little areas of your game," he said. "Obviously I had a few setbacks with injuries and having surgery and stuff like that.
"Your training sometimes alters a little bit compared to some of the stuff you may have done before but it's a management thing.
"As you get older, you start getting a few niggles, you have to work around that. In terms of playing, I still know my A-game."
Hewitt's fighting qualities have never been in doubt but as he starts his 13th season on the professional tour, he is facing more and questions about his future.
The Aussie insists, however, he has no plans of retiring.
"It's not something I'm thinking about. I haven't thought about it in the past. This year's no different," he said.
"I'm not thinking about that right at the moment. It's still a great excitement every time I come here.
"I've done all the hard work. Now it's a matter of going on the match court and hopefully executing.
"If I play my game and play as well as I know I can and the way I'm hitting the ball, yeah, I've got a chance."
Wywiad z Lleytonem po I rundzie AO:
Q. Fair bit to be happy with that one.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's always tough first round of any slam. Yeah, probably a little bit more so because I had no idea really how he played either. So, yeah, did all the homework we could do before the match. Until you actually get out there, you never really know.
So, yeah, he's a grinder. He was gonna hit a lot of balls back, and he served better than I thought he would. But I returned really well, especially at the start.
Q. Conditions a little tricky out there?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was tough. It was pretty cold, so it was really heavy conditions. It got heavier as the match went on. The balls were fluffing out quite a bit purely because of the conditions. I think they weren't flying that much, so it was actually hard to generate a lot of pace out there as well tonight.
Q. For the night session, you happy to play earlier?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, if you get through, it gives you a little bit ‑‑ you get to bed and do all the rehab and physio and treatment and all that stuff a little bit earlier.
But, yeah, I didn't have any say. It was whenever I was gonna be on, so...
Q. You seemed to hit the ball really cleanly in Perth and tonight. Can you compare it with any other point that you've hit the ball this well consistently?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Um, yeah. I've been hitting the ball pretty well, you know. Throughout last year and at Wimbledon I hit the ball extremely well and made a good run there. I had to knock off Del Potro, and a month later he wins the US Open.
So, yeah, my ball‑striking has been pretty good. Ever since I came back from hip surgery, it's more the confidence in moving and getting into the right position to do it.
Yeah, obviously you're gonna be a step up every round, though. You're gonna play more quality opponents, and you still gotta be able to strike the ball and get in position a lot better than against a guy like tonight.
Q. You feel like you're hitting it as well as you ever have?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I'm hitting the ball all right at the moment, so just keep it going.
Q. You said after the match you always aspired to win this tournament. Does it still have a real burn for you after getting so close a few years ago?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. I would love to win it. It's never gonna be easy. Obviously it's a tough tournament to win. Any Grand Slam is tough. You need a little bit of luck. You gotta play well in the right matches.
Yeah, we'll see what happens.
Q. Obviously always had a fair bit of expectation on you, too. Are you ready for that to start growing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm used to it by now. Doesn't worry me too much. I played enough big matches in Davis Cup, and I've sort of had that thrown on me at a young age. Playing Davis Cup for Australia, there's a lot of expectation.
Yeah, that was instilled in me at a young age by Newc and Rochey and those guys. I had to learn to deal with it.
Q. Do you like it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It doesn't fuss me.
Q. Being ranked 22 at the moment and playing the way you are, you have a look at those guys underneath you working down to No. 1. Do you see some names there that you think, Well, you know, we can knock over a few of those and see where you're gonna end up in the not too distant future?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, there's a lot guys that are ahead of me on ranking that I think I can take care of. But, um, a lot depends on the how many tournaments you play and your priorities as well. My priority is not a whole heap based on rankings anymore. My priority is mainly on getting my body ready and mentally and physically being as ready as possible for the four majors.
That's what I pride myself on. Obviously wanted to come into this tournament this year seeded, though. Purely ‑‑ it's a lot tougher if you're not seeded, like last year coming off hip surgery and drawing a guy like González.
So, yeah, I did all the right things to do that this year. Yeah, if you play well in the slams and the big tournaments, your ranking is gonna take care of itself anyway.
Q. Is that the next aim, to get back inside that top 16, that next level?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's not something I've really thought about too much. Where I am at the moment, I was never gonna meet the 1 to 8 guys anyway in the third round. That was always gonna be in the round of 16 anyway, which is the same as if you were 9 to 16 in the seedings.
So, yeah, from 9 to 16, 17 to 24, that's not a huge difference.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about how much you have to recover from these games these days in contrast to previous years?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've always been one to, yeah, try and do all the rehab and get the right treatment and everything. Not cut corners anyway, you know, any time in my career.
But you probably do it a little bit more nowadays, especially after having a surgery and stuff like that, just to stay on top of things a little bit more. You probably take it for granted a little bit when you're 18, 19, you know, to probably 22, 23. So, yeah, probably trying to take care of your body a little bit better.
Q. Where is the cap this year, the baseball cap? Is that something new this year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I won Wimbledon without it.
Q. But it's been constant for a long time. Is it just a constant thing that you've chucked it away this year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Um, yeah, I don't know. Probably couldn't find one in my bag, so...
Q. What about the next opponent. I haven't seen the score, but Donald Young, how do you match up with him and potentially Rochus?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, both slightly different players, depending on who I play. Played both of them last year. Played Rochus indoors in Memphis in the quarterfinals there, and played pretty well.
Knocked him off comfortably. But, yeah, he's always gonna bring his A game pretty much every time, and you pretty much know what to expect with him. He's a good competitor and he doesn't give you any cheap points. You've gotta go out there and beat him. He won't beat himself.
Donald Young is probably a lot more naturally talented and he's definitely a lot more of a shot‑maker and probably likes the big occasion a little bit more. I played him in Washington. He's a bit of an up‑and‑down player. As I said, he can hit a lot winners, but he can make some unforced errors as well.
There's been big tickets on Donald for, yeah, quite a number of years now. Yeah, by him qualifying and starting to make it through into some of these Grand Slams, he's obviously starting to fulfill that potential.
Q. Just to get your thoughts on the current state of Australian tennis at the moment, obviously there's some talent coming through. You've made some comments in the past about the leadership of the game and the direction it's going. Do you see any progress or development since you last commented on that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I don't know enough since I last commented, so there's no point really going into it right at the moment.
Firing Lleyton Hewitt proves what a difference a year makes
WHEN Lleyton Hewitt strode on to Rod Laver Arena to begin his 14th campaign last night against an opponent he knew little about, he sensed a difference from last year.
A year ago, Hewitt was full of self-doubt, knowing his return from serious hip surgery was one almost certain to finish in defeat. Which it did, in the first round, to Fernando Gonzalez.
It was only a case of fingers crossed it would not finish in further despair for, as he told The Australian this month, he had been advised to delay his comeback another two months.
However, he opted to ignore that advice, given his sense of obligation to the national open.
He was never going to lose last night.
Even knowing so little about Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar, 24, Hewitt knew he would handle the qualifier, whom he duly thrashed 6-1 6-2 6-3.
One could point to the ranking difference of 22 versus 194.
Then there is the respective bank balances. The $160,000 or so won by the claycourter is small change to the Australian, who has pocketed $19 million in prizemoney and a great deal more in endorsements.
But, most importantly, there is the return of his confidence and movement, attributes that are helping him strike the ball as sweetly as he did at last year's Wimbledon, the last time he mounted a serious challenge in a grand slam.
"Throughout last year, and at Wimbledon, I hit the ball extremely well and made a good run there," Hewitt said.
"I had to knock off (Juan Martin) del Potro and a month later he wins the US Open.
"So, yeah, my ball striking has been pretty good.
"Ever since I came back from hip surgery, it's been more the confidence in moving and getting into the right position to do it."
The benefit of maturity has also balanced the confidence.
Even though he is happy with his form, Hewitt was not declaring that he would claim the Open.
While his second-round opponent was still to be decided last night, Marcos Baghdatis, a former finalist in Melbourne who handled the Australian in Sydney last week, potentially awaits in the third round.
Then there is a possible fourth-round encounter with Roger Federer, though the Swiss had some serious moments of worry against Russian Igor Andreev before progressing in four sets yesterday.
Still, Hewitt at least knows he will be competitive in matches to come whereas last year he did not.
"Last year was tough because I had four or five months off before I played in the Australian summer," he said.
"I have built it up this year.
"I got better and better as the year went on and I have put myself in a position where I can now have a crack."
Konferencja po II r. AO
Q. Great to see you have a straight‑sets win. Playing someone you don't play that often, he probably surprised you a bit in the first set. What turned it around for you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Just tried to be a lot more solid, especially towards the end of the second set. I felt like I got out of the blocks well. He started serving a lot better and then, yeah, he mixed up his game very well.
He's very flashy with his forehand. He can generate pace from anywhere on the court. Yeah, when he's actually got time to run onto the ball, because he is so quick, he actually comes up with some pretty good shots.
So he was returning well, and I wasn't serving as well as I would have liked early on. My serve got better as the match went on, and that definitely put me in a better position to be a little bit more aggressive on his service games.
Q. When would you prefer to play on Saturday?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Doesn't worry me. At this stage I haven't thought about it. I'm gathering that it'll be Saturday night. I assume. I don't know. Whatever. It doesn't worry me, day or night.
Q. Will you request the early match on Saturday night?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Probably not. No. Whatever. I would be surprised if they ‑‑ I'm not sure why they're going some men and women different nights. I have no idea what the deal is with that.
I would assume at this stage they'd probably put us at 7:00. I'm not sure.
Q. Is that last one with Marcos two years ago still the most memorable of your career?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Absolutely. I think just the whole ‑‑ it was sort of epic in the locker room before we went on the court as well. We both warmed up and kept getting told we were gonna be the next match on.
Once the night session started, they were gonna be moving the women's. That all got canceled, and then we're sitting in a situation where the women ended up going three sets and we weren't gonna be playing that night.
It was just a weird situation for both of us to be in. Then to go five sets like it did, it just added to the drama.
Q. Tomic was pretty critical about the scheduling of his match last night and the fact that it went too late. Just wondering, as someone who has finished a match after 4:00 a.m. Does he have a case?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, as I said, I don't know why they're putting some mens matches first and some after the women's. I have no idea. We've all been prepared, I guess, if we do go five sets, nine times out of ten I've always been the second match after the women's.
There's only been a couple occasions in my career that I've played in the last couple of years that I've played a 7:00 or 7:30 match. You always know if you go five sets it's gonna be a long night. That's just how it is.
Q. Should he expect any sort of leniency? He said because he was young, it was hard for him that late. Is that just part of the learning experience?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I think it's part of learning. I don't know whether he requested night or day or what he did. If you get scheduled at night, yeah, that's what's gonna happen. You gotta be prepared for that to happen.
Q. Would you be surprised that a 17 year old would be complaining about playing a night match on Rod Laver?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. He seems like the kind of kid that would enjoy it. To play in a big atmosphere. I think he handles that pretty well. I think deep down he would have enjoyed playing a big match.
Q. Was today's match ideal for the Baghdatis confrontation?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it's ideal in the fact that I got through in straight sets.
Q. But he ran around a lot.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. It's a big difference. One is left‑handed and the other is right‑handed. I'm gonna have to come to terms with that.
I played Marcos last week and I know what to expect. He's in good form and hitting the ball extremely clean. He's gonna be feeling confident after winning last week. Knocking off David Ferrer in five sets isn't easy either.
Q. Are you enjoying this growing rivalry with Baghdatis?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, we've only played three times. (Laughing.) It's not quite like the Nadal‑Federer just yet. Yeah, for some reason some guys you play more at Grand Slams than you do on tour events. Marcos and I have been one of those matches, I guess.
Q. When you played with Marcos the other day, was he any different than the last time you played him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really different, I would say. He's always played well in Australia. You look back to the year he made a good run and made the final here and surprised everyone. The year beat him and played well. This year in Sydney he played well as well.
Obviously last year was tough for him in patches, just because ‑‑ I don't know if he had surgery or not. But, yeah, he definitely had a couple injuries and that set him back quite a bit. He went back to the challengers, and you gotta take your hat off to that. He's a class player, and he's a lot better than a challenger player. For him to be able to do that is a great effort.
Q. His match went nearly four hours today. Do you see that as a good advantage for you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, can't be bad that I got through in straight. Yeah, at the end of the day, I know that I've done the work. I know that come Saturday I'll be as fresh as I can be.
Won both my matches in straight sets so far so...
So, yeah, haven't put a foot wrong.
Q. How do you feel?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I feel fine.
Q. Were you surprised that Cilic was taken to five sets last night?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I didn't see any of the match. It's hard to explain. Cilic is, yeah, a very good player. I think a little bit when he's expected to win he doesn't quite play as well as ‑‑ you know, when he had to play a guy like Murray and that at the US Open, Murray and Del Potro, he had very little pressure on him.
Yeah, still, for Bernard to go out there and take ‑‑ Cilic is a quality player. Absolutely.
Q. Do you think he's moving closer to Davis Cup contention?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, the comment I always said was, yeah, anyone ranked 300 in the world can't ‑‑ doesn't matter if it's Klein or Matosevic or whoever it is, they can't expect to be playing Davis Cup. It's not gonna be their call. It's gonna be Fitzy and Woodbridge's call and the selectors to who they put in.
You have no right to say that you'll be playing Davis Cup in that situation. So, yeah, he's obviously around the mark. Personally, I feel it was a pretty good tournament for the Australians in the fact that Luczak, I saw a little bit of his match against Nadal, and he hit the ball as well as he's ever played, which gave me great confidence.
And then I saw a little bit of Carsten Ball the other day against Verdasco as well. In terms of Davis Cup, I'm a little happier with the players coming through.
Q. Did you watch any of Marcos' match today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit on the TV. Not enough.
Q. What are hoping for in terms of fan support against Baghdatis?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it's Australia, so I look forward to a lot of support.
Q. Do you think it'll be quite even out there? I mean, he's got quite a big fan club here.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I always get support on center court. Don't think it'll be any different.
Q. Was it good to beat someone a lot younger than you today and someone that scrambles around and has big tickets around the world?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it wasn't something I thought about his age going into the match. It was more, yeah, it was good that I played him in Washington a few months ago towards the end of last year.
Yeah, he plays a little bit different and he's flashy and rides a bit of a wave for a few games, and then throws in a couple of suck games out of nowhere. So it's good to know where he's at. He's a lot better playing than his ranking is right at the moment.
He obviously struggled with the expectation of being the next great hope for America for a while. He's been 70 odd in the world, and won't be long before he's back there?
Q. Do you think the powers that be in Australia can learn from how the Americans treated Donald Young early in his career giving him so many wild cards, and that possibly put his career back a year or two?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes and no. You gotta have other people to give 'em to, and maybe they didn't have other people to give 'em to. That's why he got 'em. Yeah, maybe he was performing ‑‑ yeah, he obviously struggled and got some rough draws there, too.
Some of guys I saw him play, Henman and there was a few other guys that he got a wildcard in Masters Series events, and even US Open I think James Blake. There was a few guys that he's had tough draws against.
Yeah, everyone is a little bit different, I think.
Q. Do you feel your game suits Marcos'?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think I can ‑‑ I think there are certain areas I can mix up pretty well against him. He's obviously a great ball‑striker, very clean off both sides of. Yeah, when she's serving well his whole game sort of comes together a bit more. Obviously I'm gonna have to serve well against him. Yeah, that's gonna be a big key.
Q. What do you do to get psyched up before matches? Are you still watching Rocky movies, or is there a new form of inspiration?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not watching movies anymore. For me, it's more I just like hanging around with my team and obviously in the locker room and, yeah, going through the warm up and the preparation that I need to be ready to go out there. I listen to a bit of music, and that's about it.
Q. Kim Clijsters is called Aussie Kim since her relationship with you. What do you think about her comeback?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, her comeback is unbelievable. Yeah, it's not easy to take any time off tennis these days. I just know from hip surgery to come back and then try and, yeah, to pick up where you left off isn't easy. So, yeah, for her to come back and third tournament back win a Grand Slams is incredible.
Yeah, in terms of I think Kim and Justine, yeah, they're still a class above 95% of the women players out there anyway. It was never gonna take those two long to come back and get competitive at the big tournaments.
Q. What music do you listen to before a match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Whatever. Always changes.
Hewitt stands the test of time
Where did all the years go? Can this really be Lleyton Hewitt’s 14th Australian Open? Is it really five years since he reached the final here, the human cyclone who blew through the draw in a whirlwind of fist pumps and c’mons? Surely not.
These days Hewitt is a sedate family man of 28, a father of two and one of the elders of the game. True, he still has a level of intensity on court that can terrify even the bravest of men and a stare that can turn an errant line judge to a pillar of salt, and in typical eye-popping, vein bulging style, he clobbered Donald Young 7-6(3) 6-4 6-1 to reach the third round. That set up another Saturday night appointment with Marcos Baghdatis, a replay of their all-night drama of two years ago.
It was as if Hewitt took one look at the young American hopeful in front of him and thought: “Mmm, I remember what it was like to be where you are now, mate. Let me show you how it’s done”.
Where Young would blow hot and cold, his body language going from cocky to dejected in the space of a game, Hewitt was focused and unwavering. He may not be quite the physical force he once was, but he has a lifetime of experience to draw upon – he simply sized Young up, stepped up a gear, and ran away with the match. It was as good a day’s work as Hewitt could have hoped for at this stage in the tournament.
“I felt like I got out of the blocks well,” he said. “He started serving a lot better and he mixed up his game very well. He's very flashy with his forehand. He can generate pace from anywhere on the court. When he's actually got time to run onto the ball, because he is so quick, he actually comes up with some pretty good shots.
“He was returning well, and I wasn't serving as well as I would have liked early on. My serve got better as the match went on and that definitely put me in a better position to be a little bit more aggressive on his service games.”
Hewitt and Young are polar opposites. When Australia’s feistiest son was but a scrap of a lad, he still oozed confidence and fury from every pore. He may have been slight of frame, but he was fuelled on pure adrenaline. What he lacked in weight of shot and experience, he more than made up for in speed around the court and a dogged determination not to lose a point, much less a match.
Young, on the other hand, is a wonderfully gifted player, one who can do as he pleases with racquet and ball. He was a little on the short side as a teenager but now that he is 20, he has grown into a sturdy six-footer and has the muscle power to give the ball an almighty thump. But natural talent is only half the battle – it is knowing what to do with that talent that turns players into champions, as Hewitt could surely tell him.
From the moment Young started playing junior events, he was tipped as the next, great American hope. Such luminaries as John McEnroe forecast that the young man from Atlanta would soon be taking the world by storm. At the age of 15, he became the youngest winner of a junior Grand Slam title, picking up the silverware here at Melbourne Park. With every rally, the expectation was mounting.
Eager to be the first to showcase Young’s talents, the tournaments fell over themselves to offer him wild cards into their main draws, and suddenly Young, who was still trying to crack the Futures and Challenger circuits, was now in the first round of Masters events and majors and facing the likes of Novak Djokovic and Tim Henman. For two-and-a-half years, he traipsed around the world and never won a match on the main tour and, with every loss, his confidence sank a little lower.
He broke the cycle in 2007 at the age of 18 by beating Amer Delic in the first round in New Haven and going on to reach the third round of the US Open a couple of weeks later. His ranking pushed up to 73 in 2008 but then dropped back, and now he is down to a lowly 195. For all the talent, he still has not found a way to kick on to the next level and stay there.
“He plays a little bit different,” Hewitt said. “He's flashy and rides a bit of a wave for a few games, and then throws in a couple of suck games out of nowhere. But he's a lot better playing than his ranking is right at the moment.
“He obviously struggled with the expectation of being the next great hope for America for a while. He's been 70-odd in the world, and won't be long before he's back there.”
This was Hewitt in a generous, almost fatherly mood. He knew exactly what Young was going through, but he also knew that by the time he was Young’s age, he had already won his first Grand Slam title. Whether Hewitt has another major title in him remains to be seen, but it will still take a lot to stop him here on his home patch, far more than Young had to offer.
Wywiad po meczu 3 rundy AO10:
An interview with:
LLEYTON HEWITT
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. When were you aware that Marcos was in trouble?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Towards the end of the first set he started to try to shake his arm out a little bit. Yeah, he dumped a couple of forehands, hit some rally balls into the net. He was obviously shaking his arm, and then he called the trainer.
For me, I had to try and stay in the moment as much as possible. Felt like I was hitting the ball well and extremely clean. I wasn't ‑‑ my frame of mind out there wasn't gonna change at all.
Q. Is this the ideal lead‑up for a match against Roger Federer?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, in terms of my ball‑striking, absolutely. I took it up another notch tonight, which was great. I hit the ball as well as I have hit it in a long time. It's not gonna be easy against Rog. It's not going to be easy. I'll be ready come Monday.
Q. What do you do in your preparation now to compensate for the fact that you didn't have a big workout tonight?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Nothing different. No. Um, yeah, it's just a blessing that I didn't finish really late and, yeah, have to bounce back from a tough five‑set match, because it's hard enough playing him when you're fresh.
I'll do all the same preparation that I've been doing. Everything is going according to plan so far.
Q. So you would rather have a shorter match than a longer match leading up to playing someone like Roger?
LLEYTON HEWITT: For me, it doesn't matter. I couldn't have got any more out of tonight's match than what I got anyway. My ball‑striking, as I said, I didn't put a foot wrong. I served great. I moved great. I hit the ball fantastic. I did all the right things on my side of the court.
You know, I took care of my service games extremely well and was confident and put a lot of pressure on him. In terms of that, me going out and hitting more balls or playing out there a few hours longer, I was only gonna obviously make a few more mistakes and get negative on yourself. There's no point in doing that.
Q. Is there a slightly different letdown process that you've built yourself up to a game and obviously it didn't go the way you expected it to?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. As I said, I was extremely happy with everything that I did tonight. Yeah, it's like Danny Green when he's boxing. He expected to go 12 rounds and he didn't even last a round. You take it when you can get it.
Q. Could you hope to be in better form coming into a match against Roger?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Um, I felt like I stepped it up every match. Obviously the opponents have got tougher every match. Tonight was always gonna be a step up in class. Even though it didn't obviously pan out the way it was supposed to, I guess, Marcos ‑‑ you got to be extremely wary of him.
In the second set, I felt like the only points I was really pressured on was when he was hitting the line on his first serve. Apart from that, I was all over his second serve and putting a lot of pressure on him.
Yeah, I moved the ball around extremely well. I made him ‑‑ yeah, he didn't hit one winner, I don't think, in the first set.
Yeah, even if he's a little bit injured, against a guy like Marcos, it's not an easy thing to do.
Q. Fitness‑wise, is this the best you've been going into an Open campaign for while?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was only really last year that I wasn't ‑‑ yeah, there were a few question marks. I had done all the hard work, but it was just whether the hip was gonna hold up. I hadn't played any matches. A lot of the other years I've been pretty fit coming in. Same as this year.
Q. You lost the last 14 matches against Roger Federer. How can you beat him Monday? What will be the key?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Win three sets before he does. That's what I'll be trying to do.
Q. Do you feel very different coming into this match than you did in New York in September?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Um, not a lot. Not a lot different, really. Um, yeah, I hit the ball pretty well going into the match against him in New York as well.
I made a quarter and obviously lost to Roger in straight sets in Cincinnati a week or so before the US Open. Obviously unlucky to draw him in the third round at the US Open.
By my first two rounds there I played faultless tennis as well. Went through both those matches extremely comfortable and hitting the ball great going into the match with Roger.
Yeah, my knee was probably a little bit not in such good shape going into that match, which I'm a lot more confident on now. So, yeah, that was probably a little bit more worrying.
With that said, I was still able to take the first set off him and push him towards the end of the third set, which could have gone either way. Obviously he ran away it in the fourth. Yeah, I had some chances.
Q. Are you expecting to play Monday night if you get a choice?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Mate, I haven't really thought about it yet. Haven't thought about Roger yet. I haven't thought about when they'll put us.
Q. When does that start to happen, the thinking about Roger?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Probably tomorrow.
Q. So you just enjoy tonight?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, just do all the right things: rehab and get some food and doing everything that I've been doing for the last three months.
Q. You have run into Roger more often I think than any of the other active players on the tour at the moment. Do you view this as one of your greater opportunity to get one back, given his record at the Masters and Doha, that he hasn't been in as good a form?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, he doesn't lose too many matches, especially big matches, and especially Grand Slams. You just got to look at his record last year in Grand Slams.
Yeah, it does take a great performance to beat him. That's why he's been the greatest player possibly ever, because he keeps putting himself in a position to keep winning Grand Slams.
Yeah, every time he does lose to anyone ‑ there hasn't been many ‑ it's pretty much been Rafa or obviously Del Potro in the final of the US Open. Yeah, last year those two guys were the only two guys that beat him in five sets at slams. So you're gonna have to be ready for a challenge.
Q. Obviously you wouldn't be playing if you didn't believe you could beat Roger. What is it that makes you continue believing you will eventually get over on him one day?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Um, well, I still think there's room for improvement in my game. Heals and I have been working on stuff. You're not gonna play your best tennis day in and day out.
You play for those moments, to play against the best players, Roger is that. This is what motivates you. If you can't get up for these matches, you shouldn't be playing the game.
Q. Having played him 20 or 21 times, is this the greatest rivalry you've had, maybe the most special rivalry you've had your career?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Um, yeah, we've played a lot of big matches. Obviously played the final of the US Open, we played a Davis Cup match here as well.
Nine times out of ten I've played him in most of the majors as well, apart from the French Open. So, yeah, a lot of them have been pretty big occasion matches.
Yeah, he's obviously, as I said, possibly the greatest player ever to play. So any time you get to play those guys, as I said, it's ‑‑ yeah, the motivation is there.
Q. Sharing the billing on Monday with Sam Stosur. Good to see Sam get through?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I didn't see much of Sam's match today. We obviously played the Hopman Cup together. Good for her to get through. Obviously she was a little down on confidence coming in here for last couple of the matches to win in straight sets.
She's got nothing to lose going out there against Serena either. So, you know, for her, everything to gain and nothing to lose. The weight is off her shoulders now. She can go out there and enjoy it.
Q. Seems to have been kind of an injury‑prone day for some of the other players. Marcos was one of three people that retired in matches. It's not hot out today. Are there some other conditions that you think might be contributing to it, or it's just the first big tournament of the season?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I can't really speak for the other injury ‑‑ Marcos, I'm sure it had something to do with his long match two days ago. So it had nothing to do with weather or conditions today.
From what I heard, Youzhny pulled out with a wrist, so didn't even start the match. That didn't have anything to do with him.
Koubek, I don't even know why he pulled out. It's got nothing to do with conditions right at the moment.
Fearless Forecasts: Hewitt's moment of truth
Every tennis fan who watched Lleyton Hewitt beat Roger Federer all those years ago will never forget the drama.
It was a Davis Cup tie at Melbourne Park in 2003. Hewitt trailed his lifetime rival by two sets to love and was down 3-5 in the third. The end seemed nigh, but still he chased every ball.
Then he gained a break point. He dashed to make a winner and, as he did so, fell headlong and face down. As the crowd erupted, Hewitt slowly lifted his head off the court. It was the turning point he’d desperately sought, and he uttered a croaky “C’mon!” before getting up.
Hewitt went on to win that set, plus the next two, to record a 5-7 2-6 7-6(4) 7-5 6-1 win that laid the foundation of an Australian triumph - and reduced Federer to tears.
It was, for the great Swiss, a bitter defeat which added more steel to his character; he resolved never to let up against Hewitt again. Federer has since beaten Hewitt 14 times without loss. They have had many close encounters, but not once since 2003 has the tenacious Australian stretched him to five sets again.
Wywiad po przegranym meczu 4 rundy AO10:
An interview with:
LLEYTON HEWITT
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. How disappointing was that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's always disappointing when you lose in a Grand Slam. But he played special tennis though. Hit the ball extremely clean, and I just couldn't get into his service games, which made it tough.
Q. Do you get the feeling that he seems to lift his play against you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, he hasn't played too many bad matches against me. Tonight was as good as, yeah, US Open final in 2004. He had patches where he played, you know, first and third sets he played incredible sets there. Especially in a bit blustier conditions, but, yeah, tonight he was able to keep it up pretty much the whole match.
Q. What do you think you have to do against Roger when he plays like that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm not sure right at the moment. If I knew, I would still be out there.
Q. Is it a case that you still feel you're driven to bridge the gap with him? Is that what drives you now still?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, what drives me is to ‑‑ I still think I can become a better player. That's more the motivation. But obviously he's the, yeah, sort of the limit at the moment. He's the No. 1 player in the world.
Yeah, everyone says it wasn't an absolutely great year for him and he still won two Grand Slams and lost in two finals in five sets in the other two. Yeah, he's obviously the benchmark.
Q. Did you feel like you had your A game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty clean out there. He hit his backhand ‑‑ normally it can go off slightly, and he hit it great tonight from start to finish.
Occasionally he gets some cheap points and he shanks a few balls here and there. Obviously the conditions were pretty nice out there tonight as well. There wasn't a lot of breeze, but he hit the ball extremely clean as well.
That was always tough because he was confident and moving extremely well. Felt like he was putting the ball on a dime every time.
Q. When you reflect back on this tournament, what will you think about?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, from my point of view I did everything right. I prepared exactly the way that I wanted to prepare for the Australian summer. Gave 100% every time again. I ran into the best player right at the moment I would say.
Q. The way you played the last few weeks, where does that put your mindset for the rest of the year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, obviously I've been able to work my ranking back up. I feel good about that. Don't have a lot of points to defend for ‑‑ really through to Wimbledon, the quarters there.
Yeah, I feel comfortable I can do some damage. The way I hit the ball tonight, I still think I could have taken a lot of other guys still left in the draw. That's probably a little bit more frustrating.
Q. You had some different strapping on your knee. How is the body holding up generally after the first Grand Slam of the year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's fine. I've played with knee strapping for a long time. About five, six months now. So, yeah, that's feeling as good as it's felt.
Q. Everything else okay?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I feel good.
Hewitt hip becoming a problem again
Leyton Hewitt is again battling pain in his right hip, with a Melbourne tabloid reporting that more surgery cannot be ruled out of the question.
Hewitt has been trying to keep his fitness worry quiet after losing to Roger Federer for the 15th time in succession in the Australian Open fourth round.
The Herald Sun reported the new development has the Hewitt camp worried. But they will not use it as an excuse after another hammering from Federer.
Hewitt, 28, underwent hip surgery in August, 2008, and made a return the following January. He won a clay title in Houston last April as he rose back up the ranks.
The 22nd-ranked Australian is entered in US indoor events next month in San Jose and Memphis, followed by a Davis Cup zonal clash with Taiwan in Melbourne the first weekend in March.
Hewitt kept his comments to a minimum, saying he did "everything right."
"I prepared exactly the way that I wanted to prepare for the Australian summer. Gave 100 percent every time again. I ran into the best player right at the moment, I would say."
Kolejna operacja Lleytona Hewitta.
Australijski gwiazdor dozna³ ponownego urazu biodra i mo¿e pauzowaæ nawet 3 miesi±ce. Operacja odby³a siê w Hobart, a sam Hewitt ma nadziejê na powrót na drugi tegoroczny turniej WS - Roland Garros.
Hewitt set to sit after surgery
Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt has had surgery on his right hip in Hobart this week following his loss to world No.1 Roger Federer at Australian Open 2010.
Hewitt said he sustained the injury the day before his first match at the Hopman Cup while practicing, but refused to let it derail his Australian Open campaign after coming back from a similar injury to his left hip last year.
“I did one movement at the Hopman Cup in practice the day before my first match, and I felt something straight away. I knew it wasn't that good,” Hewitt told a packed press conference at Melbourne Park on Saturday afternoon.
“At that time, I wasn't 100 per cent sure whether I was going to be able to play any of the Australian summer. At least I gave 100 per cent and tried to block it out as much as possible. [i] was able to get through the summer.”
After having scans on the troublesome hip and discussing various options with his team, Hewitt elected to have surgery in an attempt to return in time for the French Open in May.
He will, however, miss Australia’s Asia-Oceania Zone Group I Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei at Melbourne Park in early March and some hardcourt tournaments in the US, including Indian Wells (which he has won twice) and Miami.
Hewitt said this injury is slightly different to the problem he experienced with his left hip that kept him out of the game from August 2008 to January 2009.
“I had a tear in my labrum, which is around my hip joint. So I pretty much had torn that off the bone. I had a few issues with my ligament, as well, in there.”
Despite yet another injury setback and his 29th birthday fast approaching, Hewitt says that retirement hasn’t crossed his mind.
“I thought maybe if I retire now and come back in 12 weeks, you know, Kim [Clijsters] and Justine [Henin] do that, then come back and win slams. Could have been an omen for me,” he said.
“I've worked too hard to come back. I feel like I'm hitting the ball as well as I've nearly ever hit it … the bloke I lost to the start of this week (Federer), he's as good as you get right at the moment.”
Hewitt said that after having gone through a similar experience with his left hip, he knows what’s in store this time round.
“It's kind of easier to know what to expect. Even when I come back, you might have some good days and some bad days.
“But you put up with that. At least I know the kind of pain that I'm going through at the moment. [In] a few weeks, it will go away.”
After completing his rehabilitation at a yet-to-be-decided location, Hewitt will set his sights on returning to the Grand Slams, where he thinks he is still a chance.
“For me the obvious goal, the next one will be Wimbledon. It's a place where I feel comfortable at. It's a place I played extremely well last year. [i] was only one or two points away from making the semis there. I feel like if I can get back and play some matches before Wimbledon, I have an outside chance of doing well.
“I don't feel like I'm that far away, my ball striking, from doing some damage in the Grand Slams.”
Szacunek dla Lleytona ze przy takich problemach ze zdrowiem, wciaz ma motywacje i checi by grac dalej w tenisa. Szans na powrot do scislej czolowki nie ma, a mimo to wciaz walczy :szacun:
Dzisiejsza konferencja prasowa.
An interview with:
LLEYTON HEWITT
THE MODERATOR: Before we start, Lleyton has a few words to say.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Thanks for all coming today. Obviously, a little bit frustrated to be having this press conference. But, you know, it needed to be done.
After I finished the Australian Open, two days ago I had to go in and have hip surgery on my right hip. It's been causing a few problems since the Hopman Cup at the start of the year. Wasn't an easy decision to make, but one that I felt was necessary right at the moment, so...
I'll take any questions.
Q. Is it the other hip?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's my right hip this time. Yeah, as I said, during my pre‑season in November and December, I didn't have any worries. I did one movement at the Hopman Cup in practice the day before my first match, and I felt something straightaway. I knew it wasn't that good.
Yeah, right at that time I wasn't a hundred percent sure whether I was going to be able to play any of the Australian summer. At least I gave a hundred percent and tried to block it out as much as possible, was able to get through the summer.
Q. Is the rehabilitation going to be as bad as the previous operation?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It will be very similar, very similar.
Q. You still have the urge to play tennis?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely, otherwise I wouldn't have had the op straightaway. I could have waited a couple of weeks, see if it settled down a little bit better after straight playing a tournament.
At the end of the day, from the scans I had before the Australian Open, you know, speaking to the experts that I had around me, we pretty much knew that the decision was pretty much out of my hands right at the moment.
Obviously, what I play for these days are the Grand Slams. If I waited any longer to have anything done, it would have been very similar to 2008 where I sort of prolonged it because I didn't exactly know what was going on and ended up missing the US Open because of it.
For me having it done right now, I'll be back, ready for the French Open.
Q. What is the medical term for it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I had a tear in my labrum, which is around my hip joint. So I pretty much had torn that off the bone. I had a few issues with my ligament, as well, in there.
Yeah, it wasn't exactly the same as last time. This one was probably more just an unlucky movement that caused it I think at the time.
Q. Have they given you any time, how long the rehab might take?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Uhm, not a hundred percent 'cause you never really know until you sort of get back in the rehab.
Obviously, yeah, it's put me out of the first Davis Cup tie, quite a few of the tournaments, all the hard court tournaments throughout the States. Yeah, for me I'll be looking to get back on the clay at some stage before the French Open.
Q. How much pain were you in throughout the Australian Open?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I was in, yeah, a reasonable amount of pain. But, yeah, I've played with pain in the past. As I said, 2008, we didn't know the extent of the left hip, what the actual problem was. So I actually played throughout that year with quite a lot of pain anyway. I'm able to block it out as much as possible.
You know, during Sydney, it was not great against Baghdatis in the match in Sydney. That was pretty much why in the end I sort of had to fall away from that match and try and concentrate on the Australian Open.
Q. Is there something about the way you play that makes you more susceptible to hip injuries do they think?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think so. I think this one was probably a little bit more unlucky, whereas the last one, my bone in my hip at some stage was going to cut the labrum anyway, how the bone was, where this was more a little unlucky where I landed in a position that actually sort of tore it.
As I said, I did as much training in November and December, harder training than I'd ever done in a pre‑season. The body couldn't have felt better. So it was a little bit frustrating going into the Hopman Cup.
Q. After this injury, any sort of thought of giving it away?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, the only thought I thought maybe if I retire now and come back in 12 weeks, you know, Kim and Justine do that, then come back and win slams. Could have been an omen for me (smiling).
You know, for me, that never went through my mind. I've worked too hard to come back. I feel like I'm hitting the ball as well as I've nearly ever hit it. How I was feeling, the bloke I lost to the start of this week, he's as good as you get right at the moment. I don't feel like I'm that far away, my ball striking, from doing some damage in the Grand Slams.
Q. Where did you have the surgery done and where will you do the immediate sort of rehab?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I had surgery in Hobart, the same as last time. Rehab, not sure yet. Got to speak to my guys, obviously my physio, Ivan, just go through what's best for me. I haven't really been through all that just yet.
Q. Obviously you still think you can win slams if you're coming back?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you know, obviously it's frustrating because I felt like I was in such good shape, and I felt like I'd done everything possible coming into the Australian summer to give myself as good a shot. I still gave a hundred percent. I lost to the best player in the world at the moment.
But, yeah, for me the obvious goal, the next one will be Wimbledon. It's a place where I feel comfortable at. It's a place I played extremely well last year. Was only one or two points away from making the semis there. I feel like if I can get back and play some matches before Wimbledon, I have an outside chance of doing well.
Q. Is it harder or easier having been through it once?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's kind of easier to know what to expect. Even when I come back, you might have some good days and some bad days. Even when you start playing matches again, yeah, it could just be a little bit stiff in the hip joint afterwards.
But you put up with that. At least I know the kind of pain that I'm going through at the moment. A few weeks, it will go away. I got to start doing all the right things again.
Lleyton Hewitt ju¿ po operacji biodra
Najlepszy australijski tenisista Lleyton Hewitt w poniedzia³ek odpad³ w czwartej rundzie wielkoszlemowego turnieju Australian Open (z pul± nagród 22,14 mln dol. austral.), a ju¿ w czwartek przeszed³ operacjê kontuzjowanego prawego biodra.
28-letni Australijczyk, by³y lider rankingu ATP World Tour ma nadziejê, ¿e uda mu siê wróciæ na korty w maju, tu¿ przed Roland Garros, drugim w tym sezonie turniejem zaliczanym do Wielkiego Szlema.
W 1/8 fina³u Australian Open Hewitt przegra³ z obecnym numerem jeden na ¶wiecie Szwajcarem Rogerem Federerem, a we wtorek przeszed³ szczegó³owe badania biodra. Lekarze uznali, ¿e najlepsza bêdzie jak najszybsza operacja, po której nie straci wiêkszo¶ci sezonu.
- Mia³em problemy od Hopman Cup, czyli od pocz±tku roku, ale nie chcia³em traciæ australijskiego lata na kortach, wiêc mimo urazu stara³em siê dalej graæ. W sumie to podobna sprawa, jak ta, która w 2008 roku zmusi³a mnie do poddania siê operacji lewego biodra. Teraz dla mnie najwa¿niejsze jest, ¿ebym by³ gotów do gry w Pary¿u - powiedzia³ w sobotê na konferencji prasowej w Melbourne Hewitt, który ma w dorobku dwa tytu³y wielkoszlemowe.
Pierwszy wywalczy³ we wrze¶niu 2001 roku w nowojorskim US Open, a drugi w kolejnym sezonie na trawiastych kortach w Wimbledonie. W sumie by³ numerem jeden w rankingu ATP World Tour przez 80 tygodni, zanim zaczê³y go trapiæ liczne kontuzje.
- Przyzwyczai³em siê ju¿ do k³opotów ze zdrowiem, wiêc nie przejmujcie siê, bo szybko wrócê. Nie w g³owie mi jeszcze sportowa emerytura" - doda³ tenisista z Adelajdy.
Hewitt Sidelined Following Hip Surgery
Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt expects to return to competitive tennis in time for Roland Garros in May, following surgery on his right hip. The Australian underwent the surgery on Thursday, following a fourth-round loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open.
Speaking at Melbourne Park on Saturday, the 28-year-old Hewitt confirmed the injury had occurred during the Hopman Cup, a mixed teams exhibition tournament in Perth at the start of the year.
“I did one movement at the Hopman Cup in practice the day before my first match, and I felt something straightaway. I knew it wasn't that good. I had a tear in my labrum, which is around my hip joint. So I pretty much had torn that off the bone. I had a few issues with my ligament, as well, in there.
“Obviously, what I play for these days are the Grand Slams. If I waited any longer to have anything done, it would have been very similar to 2008 where I sort of prolonged it because I didn't exactly know what was going on and ended up missing the US Open because of it,” added Hewitt, who underwent surgery on his left hip in August 2008.
Hewitt made a strong comeback from the surgery on his left hip, winning his 27th tour-level title at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston (d. Odesnik) in April and reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon (l. to Roddick in five sets), and is optimistic of recovering in time to mount another strong challenge at Wimbledon in June.
“I've worked too hard to come back. I feel like I'm hitting the ball as well as I've nearly ever hit it,” said the Adelaide native, who has won two Grand Slam championships during his career. “The bloke I lost to [at] the start of this week (Federer), he's as good as you get right at the moment. I don't feel like I'm that far away [in] my ball striking from doing some damage in the Grand Slams.
“For me the obvious goal, the next one will be Wimbledon. It's a place where I feel comfortable at. It's a place I played extremely well last year. [i] was only one or two points away from making the semis there. I feel like if I can get back and play some matches before Wimbledon, I have an outside chance of doing well.”
Hewitt vows quick return after surprise second hip operation
Lleyton Hewitt will fight be make it back onto the ATP in time for the French Open after undergoing secret hip surgery this week, three days after Monday's loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open.
The Australian's revelation came less than 24 hours after Rafael Nadal was given a one-month timetable to play against due to knee problems.
Hewitt, 28, said that he underwent his second hip operation in Tasmania in a hurry so as to return
to tennis as fast as possible.
"It's my right hip this time," said the two-time Grand Slam winner. "I did one movement at the
Hopman Cup in practise and I felt something straightaway. I knew it wasn't that good.
"At that time I wasn't a hundred percent sure whether I was going to be able to play any of the
Australian summer. At least I gave a hundred percent and tried to block it out as much as possible, was able to get through the summer.
"Obviously, what I play for these days are the Grand Slams. If I waited any longer to have anything done, it would have been very similar to 2008 where I prolonged it because I didn't exactly know what was going
on and ended up missing the US Open because of it.
"I had a tear in my labrum, around my hip joint. I had torn that off the bone. It wasn't exactly the same as last time. This one was probably more just an unlucky movement that caused it at the time.
"For me having it done right now, I'll be back, ready for the French Open."
Hewitt has second bout of hip surgery after Aus Open loss
Lleyton Hewittleaves his press conference on crutches after announcing he had hip surgery two days ago. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun
AUSTRALIA'S premier tennis player Lleyton Hewitt is out of action again following more hip surgery.
Hewitt had an operation on his right hip in Hobart two days ago and faces lengthy rehabilitation.
The former world No.1 is aiming to be back playing again by May in time for the European claycourt season leading to the French Open.
Hewitt, who had surgery on his left hip late in 2008, said he felt pain in the right hip joint during practice in Perth for the Hopman Cup in early January.
"I made one movement during practice the day before my first match. Straight away I knew it wasn't good,'' he said today.
"I wasn't sure that I would get through the Australian summer. But I've played with pain before.''
The mishap tore Hewitt's right hip joint and the latest injury will rule him out of Australia's Asia-Oceania Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei at Melbourne Park in early March.
The 28-year-old refuted any talk of retirement and said he planned to play on once he gets the medical all-clear.
Recovering Hewitt determined to make Wimbledon impression
Lleyton Hewitt steadfastly refuses to entertain the thought that his career might be compromised as he recovers form his second hip operation in less than 18 months.
The 22nd-ranked Australian, who turns 29 in just over three weeks, is already counting down to a late May return in time for the French Open. But his most realistic chances for success might lie at
Wimbledon where he reached the quarter-finals last year and claimed the title in 2002.
"For me, the obvious goal will be Wimbledon. It's a place where I feel comfortable. It's a place (where) I played extremely well last year.
"I was only one or two points away from making the semis there (he lost to Andy Roddick). . I feel like if I can get back and play some matches before Wimbledon, I have an outside chance of doing well."
The veteran refuses to entertain thoughts of retirement. "That never went through my mind.I've worked too hard to come back. I feel like I'm hitting the ball as well as I've nearly ever hit it," he said after his Melbourne loss to Roger Federer.
"The bloke I lost to at the start of this week, he's as good as you get right at the moment. I don't feel like I'm that far away--my ball striking--from doing some damage in the Grand Slams.
Despite his fitness problem, Hewitt will be helped by a return to a Top 20 ranking on Monday.
Lleyton Hewitt needs a new coach
JOHN Alexander has urged Lleyton Hewitt to sever ties with coach Nathan Healey or risk being repeatedly upstaged by the big guns of world tennis.
Alexander, a former Australian player who rose to No. 8 in the world, has offered to coach Hewitt himself and outlined a plan to fine-tune his game.
Hewitt, who has pocketed more than $18 million in prizemoney in 10 years at the top, is being guided by the relatively anonymous Healey, whose last singles ranking was 1205.
Healey, 30, is only a year older than Hewitt, and is considered by many to be little more than a glorified hitting partner.
Who should coach Lleyton?
Hewitt, whose previous coaches include the Tony Roche, Jason Stoltenberg, Darren Cahill and Roger Rasheed, will turn 29 on February 24, is running out of time to add to his US Open and Wimbledon titles.
Alexander has encouraged Hewitt to dump the conservative approach he employed in his fourth-round loss to world No. 1 Roger Federer at the Australian Open and return to all-out aggression.
"Most people would think Lleyton would be better off to have somebody who can make objective assessments of his game and at least guide the direction of his continued development," Alexander said.
"I've studied his game for a long while and I know a lot of things that he could do that I think would improve his game.
"I haven't been in the coaching business, but it would be an interesting thing to do. He has to push his envelope and continue to try to expand his game.
"At this time of his career, he's on his final burst and it's not realistic for him to be chasing the world No. 1 ranking anymore.
"What is realistic is that he can win grand slams."
To challenge superstars of the calibre of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick, Alexander believes Hewitt must risk making more mistakes and look to add more power to his second serve.
On Healey, Alexander said: "Lleyton has taken a view that he wants somebody who is a really good practice partner, so Nathan is obviously a tournament-level player and can provide that practice.
"He probably feels that, as former world No. 1 and having worked with some of the best, he knows his game and knows what to do."
Not everyone subscribes to the theory that Healey, Hewitt's former doubles partner, is little more than a hitting partner.
Healey has an ally in Rasheed, who suggested he was a suitable mentor for Australia's top-ranked player.
Rasheed said Hewitt still had at least three more quality years on the world circuit but faced a testing assignment on the Roland Garros claycourts at the French Open in May.
"Nathan's a great guy and I'm sure he's getting a lot of value and a lot of experience out of working day-to-day with Lleyton because that's a pretty good learning tool," Rasheed said.
Hewitt advised to dump unknown mate as coach
Lleyton Hewitt has been advised to dump Aussie mate Nathan Healey as a coach in order to make a run at returning to the tennis elite.
That's the advice to the No. 19 who is currently recovering from his second hip surgery in less than two years.
Television commentator and former world No. 8 John Alexander advises that the little-known Healey, whose best ATP ranking during an undistinguished career stood outside the Top 1,200, cannot possibly guide Hewitt back towards the top.
At age 30, "Heals" is barely a year old than Hewitt, with the pair growing up in the game together. But Alexander says the sentimental link counts for nothing in the game.
"Most people would think Lleyton would be better off to have somebody who can make objective assessments of his game and at least guide the direction of his continued development," said Alexander, who is even offering his owns services despite never having been a coach.
"I've studied his game for a long while and I know a lot of things that he could do that I think would improve his game. He has to push his envelope and continue to try to expand his game.
"He's on his final burst and it's not realistic for him to be chasing the world No. 1 ranking anymore."
Hewitt has been handled in the past by a number of big-name coaches including Darren Cahill and Tony Roche. Hewitt and Healey teamed up last season, with the coach serving as much as a practice partner as a mentor.
Najlepszego Lleyton :) Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia !
29 wiosen..starzej± siê nasi Mistrzowie. :P
100 lat! :)
Lleyton Hewitt: The Counterpuncher
http://www.10sballs.com/2010/03/03/lley … erpuncher/
Lleyton Hewitt wraca na kort. Rusty zagra z dzika kart± w turnieju w Houston.
Hewitt To Return At US Men's Clay Court Championship
Lleyton Hewitt has accepted a wild card to return from a January hip operation and defend his US Men’s Clay Court Championship title at River Oaks Country Club April 5-11.
Hewitt, a former World No. 1, injured his right hip while playing Hopman Cup in early January. After a fourth-round loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open he underwent surgery in Hobart to repair a torn labrum. He had a similar operation on his left hip in April 2008.
“I’m really looking forward to returning to defend my title in Houston,” Hewitt said. “The River Oaks Club is a great place to play and the people there really supportive. I couldn’t think of a better place to come back on to the Tour after an injury.”
The last player to successfully defend his US Men’s Clay Court Championship title was Andy Roddick, who won titles in 2001 and 2002. Hewitt won the 2009 title without dropping a set.
"When we got the call that Lleyton was progressing faster than expected on his recovery, we were very pleased to have the chance to offer him a wild card,” said Tournament Director Van Barry. "He’s a great champion not only our tournament but of our sport. We look forward to him coming back to defend his title."
Hewitt, who is ranked No. 24 on the ATP World Tour, is fourth among active players with 27 career titles, including the 2001 US Open crown and the 2002 Wimbledon title. At the age of 20 years and eight months, he became the youngest player to ever reach No.1 on the ATP World Tour, and spent 80 weeks in that position.
Returning Hewitt to make late Davis Cup decision
Lleyton Hewitt will take his time in deciding if his recovery from January hip surgery will allow him to return to star for Australian in Davis Cup next month.
One-time power Australia face Japan in Brisbane on the long road back into the World Group after languishing in Asian zonal play.
The 29-year-old Hewitt is giving his hip a first test this week on clay in Houston as he defends a title from 2009. The former No.1 player's management said he will decide after this week on court.
Hewitt is his nation's most successful player in Davis Cup with a 33-9 record. He has contested 27 ties after 11 years in action.
Hewitt would head a team for 28-times champion Australia against Japan which also looks to feature rising teenager Bernard Tomic.
Hewitt to play Davis Cup for Australia vs. Japan
BRISBANE, Australia (AP)—Lleyton Hewitt has been confirmed to play for Australia against Japan in their Asia/Oceania Group I second-round match on clay at Brisbane next month
Hewitt is continuing a comeback from hip surgery which forced him out of the Australians’ 5-0 defeat of Taiwan in the first round in March.
Team captain John Fitzgerald and coach Todd Woodbridge will name the other players in the Australian team by Tuesday.
The May 7-9 match will be played on a specially-built clay court on Pat Rafter Arena at the Queensland Tennis Centre. The winner advances to the World Group playoffs in September.
Australia, which has won the Davis Cup 28 times, leads Japan 14-2 in Davis Cup head-to-heads and has won the last six matchups.
Davis Cup - Hewitt slams Davis Cup timing
The timing of Australia's Davis Cup tie with Japan so close to this month's French Open was described as 'ridiculous' by former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.
The Asia-Oceania second-round tie, which begins on clay in Brisbane on Friday, is sandwiched between traditional Roland Garros warm-up events, the ATP Masters in Rome and Madrid.
Hewitt, who suffered a second-round exit to Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Rome last week as he continued his comeback from hip surgery, is due to be in Madrid the day after the Cup tie concludes.
"There is no doubt it is a nightmare schedule for all of us," 29-year-old Hewitt said in Brisbane.
"It's ridiculous to be playing this week firstly. The ITF really have got to have a good look at it.
"Because if you are expecting to play two Masters series for the ATP, and then come back and play a Davis Cup tie in between that - it takes a lot of effort."
With the Cup tie winner advancing to the September World Group play-offs, the world number 29 could face a major workout if Australian captain John Fitzgerald decides to deploy the two-time major winner in the doubles as well.
The French Open starts in Paris on May 23.
Hewitt Wins Fair Play Award
Lleyton Hewitt has been awarded the ARAG Fair Play Trophy at the ARAG ATP World Team Championships in Dusseldorf. Voted by tennis journalists and the eight team captains, the former World No. 1 became just the second Australian after Pat Rafter (2000, ’01) to receive the honour.
Hewitt said, “All players like to come here. We like the tournament and particularly the atmosphere. It is a unique event with a fantastic sponsor. I gladly represent my country at the World Team Championship.”
Hewitt, a two-time former ATP World Tour Champion, is playing the ARAG ATP World Team Championships for the fifth time, and the first time since 2004. He led the Australians to the title in Dusseldorf in 2001.
RG 2010 - wywiad z Lleytonem po zwyciêstwie w 1 rundzie
Q. Looks like you showed some good timing there this afternoon?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was good to get it in just in time. It would have been frustrating, obviously, yeah, just how the match was panning out to, you know, to have to stop for whether it was one or two games or another set. I was glad to get it through.
Q. After your hip surgery, looked like you're moving quite freely? You seemed like you got all your movement back now.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I've been moving a lot better, especially fairly well when I went back for Davis Cup. And, yeah, as soon as I got here to Paris I enjoyed playing on these courts. These are the best courts you can possibly play on. I feel very comfortable moving on these courts.
Q. Denis Istomin in your next round. Have you played against him or know much about his game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I played him probably three years ago, second round in the Australian Open.
Q. 2008.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Was it? Thanks.
Yeah, so, he's a good ball striker. Very good ball striker. He moves well for a big guy, totally different matchup to today's matchup. In a couple days' time I'll be ready.
Q. Probably in the third round you will face Rafa Nadal like last year. What kind of match can you imagine?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Mate, I'm not even thinking about Rafa just yet. I just come off the court. Until now I hadn't even thought past Chardy.
It was a pretty tough draw. I saw him play last week in Düsseldorf. He played extremely well. He cleaned up Kohlschreiber and Monaco quite comfortably both in straight sets last week.
My focus was on him. I won't even be thinking about Rafa until I get on top of Istomin.
Q. We've seen a couple of suspensions on the men's tour with recreational drugs, but with Odesnik's situation, wondering if that puts things in a different light as to what or what not your peers might or might not be trying to do to improve their performance?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. To tell you the truth, I don't know a whole lot about it. You know, it was obviously strange I think for all the players, especially the guys like myself that were in Houston, once it had sort of come out that he was there and still being able to compete.
That was probably the strangest thing I think for the players more than anything. Apart from that, I don't think yeah, it's obviously disappointing. I think it's worse for the sport than the rest of the players. You know, it hurts the sport more.
Q. So the people around you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not really. That's not something that I sit at night, you know, worrying about too much.
Q. What about the fact that he was caught coming in, you know, by customs agents and not by the testing program?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, it's just a strange one. As I said, I don't know a lot about it, but Australian customs are pretty tough, anyway. To come in with some kind of steroids is that's pushing your luck.
Q. Waited a long time in the line to bring in some nuts.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, that's a bit different.
Q. Just also on the hitting partners, what do you look for in a hitting partner?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not sure. Yeah, for me the biggest time that I've had good hitting partners is like Davis Cup where we get to bring some of the better juniors or the guys that aren't quite as good on the tour.
I like hitting with a guy that's gonna give you a bit of rhythm out there. You get a feel for the court, obviously. You know, a guy that gives 100% every time they step on the practice court.
Q. You said obviously you're not thinking of Rafa yet. I guess with the way you played today it must give you a fair bit of confidence out there against anyone at the moment.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, today was a good win. As I said, I was ready for a tough match today, and obviously playing a young French guy on the rise. He's played extremely well.
I think this surface especially here at Roland Garros was more bouncy and quicker. It suits his game style. I think the last two years he's made the third round and fourth round last year. It was gonna be a tough draw.
Obviously I'll try and draw as much confidence from that as possible.
Q. The French Open hasn't been great for Australians the last few years. We have half a dozen now through to the second round. I just wondered your thoughts on the progress.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's good. Obviously, you know, I'd like to see more on the men's side, more coming through. You know, there's only two of us Australian men in the main draw, and then obviously Carsten got a wildcard. It's fantastic that he's been able to use that.
But, yeah, we've got to try and get you know, when I first started coming here we were having quite a few players. Even the guys like the Woodies and that that, okay, probably weren't challenging for the title, but they were pushing for a third, fourth rounds consistently at Grand Slams. That's what we ought to try and get back to.
Q. Do you use hybrid or synthetic, or what do you use on your racquet?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I use half gut and half Luxilon.
Q. When did you start doing that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: End of 2003.
Q. Why do you do that, and why does that work for you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I like my racquets to play more like gut. Ever since I came on the tour, I think only time I've played with anything other than gut on my racquet was when I won Adelaide the first time. I would've had some crappy string in there. I don't even know what it was.
Yeah, from there, I think Rochey and Nick got me to start using gut. It's hard to change. I think half and half for me, it still plays more like gut because I have my gut in the mains. But I feel like I get a little bit more spin, especially when I get pushed out wide.
Q. Do you find the synthetics I mean, they've never been able to replicate the feeling of natural gut but seems like they're going off in a direction with creating more bite on the ball, more spin. I mean, is that your feeling?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a lot of players are doing that these days. I think a lot depends on the kind of racquet you use, as well, and what kind of string you put in it. So for me I feel half and half works pretty well.
Q. Obviously it hasn't happened necessarily with yourself, with the Australian men, but would you hope that with Sam, the way Sam Stosur's game is, that we can sort of carry a few more women through to the business end of these sort of tournaments? At least encourage and inspire more girls?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think men and women. We've got to hopefully get more people through to, yeah, pushing for the second week of Grand Slams. That's what you want, not just to get a few guys in the actual main draw.
Wygl±da na to, ¿e Rusty i Bec spodziewaj± siê 3 dziecka, gratulacje.;)
RG 2010 - wywiad z Lleytonem po zwyciêstwie w 2 rundzie
Q. Towards the end of the first set and the beginning of the second, looked like you were having some physical problems out there.
LLEYTON HEWITT: No. Felt fine. First set obviously got off to a slow start. And, yeah, he was timing the ball well from the start, and, yeah, hitting a lot of lines out there. Yeah, every time I got him moving he sort of was able to slap a winner on me, which made it difficult.
Q. The serving, was it just a day where you weren't the as able to get as much rhythm as I like?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I got better as the match went on, which was a good thing. Yeah, he's a tough player. Doesn't give you a lot cheap points out there, and he's sort of flashy. He'll play a couple of a good one set and then a couple, yeah, he was slightly off.
And then the fourth set and start of the fifth he probably played his best tennis again. I kind of had to weather the storm. It was good to get on top of him towards the end of that fifth.
Q. You seemed to really get going in that fifth set. I guess you were right on the edge and it brings out the best in you.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I guess. I don't like losing too many five set matches. He played some good tennis to break my twice in the fourth set. I was still confident that I was gonna get some chances. Yeah, he was gonna have some too, and I was gonna have to dig deep to get out of them.
Q. Once again, you're next going against Rafa. What's your mindset and thoughts on that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I got nothing to lose out there. It's a matter of going out there and playing my game, and hopefully I can hit the ball well.
Q. Probably a chance you'll be on a show court.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Probably. I don't think I'll be on Court 7.
Q. Is that something that has a bit of attractiveness to you as well when you play the big players, Rafa on center court in front of a good sized crowd?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, that's the reason you play tennis, to get opportunities to play the best players in the world. In the Grand Slams, I feel like I've put myself in a position my whole career that's it's taken the best players most times in a Grand Slam to beat me.
Hopefully I can give him a good match tomorrow.
Q. Just going back to today's match, at any stage of the match did you feel threatened that the result might go the wrong way or anything like that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, you're always wary out there the whole time. But, yeah, towards the end of the fourth set he started hitting ball well. He was timing it extremely well, especially his forehand up the line. I wasn't getting in as many service games as I was in the second and third sets.
Yeah, I sort of to bide my time. He's a flashy player, a bit like Chardy. It's tough to dictate against, so I had to wait my time.
Then at 1 All in the third, that's when I got my chance. Then at 3 2 serving when I had to save three breakpoints, that was a big game for me then.
Q. Looking ahead on Nadal, do you foresee anything different to the last couple times you might have played him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I would be surprised if he did anything different. He cleaned me up last few times. Yeah, he's obviously very dominant, especially on this surface.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to go out there and execute what I want to do, and do it bloody well.
Q. You've always said that you really get excited to play the likes of the big guys. The hours before going into somebody like a Nadal, what would be your routine? What would your thought process be? Excited? Nervous? What would the situation be?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, doesn't really change a lot. Yeah, that is part of being a professional athlete. You got to take every match on its merits.
You know, I can only control my side of the court and what I'm doing out there. So my preparation, I've always felt I've been pretty professional out there every match. Gonna be no different to preparing for today's match.
Obviously the thought patterns and speaking to Heals before the match, obviously trying ways that we can look at whatever weaknesses Rafa does have.
Apart from that, not a whole a lot of difference.
Q. Your first serve stat was about 48%. How do you think you'll go against someone like Rafa if you can't get that up a bit?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Depends. You don't get a lot of cheap points from Rafa anyway, even if you get your first serve in.
So, you know, a lot of it's about hitting your spots at the right times, I think. That's what I was able to do today. You know, in that 3 2 game in the fifth set I served extremely well to get out of this game. It's about doing it at the right times.
#28) Halle 2010
R32 Peter Luczak (AUS) 6-2 6-2
R16 Thiemo De Bakker (NED) 6-3 6-3
Q Andreas Beck (GER) 7-6 6-1
S Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-7 7-6 6-2
F Roger Federer 3-6 7-6 6-4
Well done :good:
To ju¿ 7(?) tytu³ Hewitta na trawie. Lleyton umocni³ siê na 2 miejscu je¿eli chodzi o tego typu dorobek je¿eli chodzi o graczy wci±¿ graj±cych. Gratulacje.
Hewitt spared early clash with Federer
LUCKLESS Lleyton Hewitt once again received few favours at Friday's Wimbledon draw, but he's at least been spared a first-week showdown with six-time champion Roger Federer.
While women's sixth seed Samantha Stosur looks to have been handed a saloon passage through to the quarter-finals, Australia's great hope in the men's championship will have to play the tournament of his life to break his eight-year grand-slam title drought.
Hewitt landed in the same top half of the draw as Federer and three-time runner-up Andy Roddick, his only consolation being that he won't run into either of last year's finalists until at least the quarter-finals.
But there's every chance Hewitt will have to overcome third seed Novak Djokovic in the fourth round and then pull off successive victories over Roddick in the quarters, Federer in the semis and world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the title match.
Hewitt will open up against lowly-ranked Argentine Maximo Gonzalez, with his first real test likely to be in the third round against dynamic Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Australia's 2002 champion - who was elevated from his world ranking of No.26 in the world to No.15 seed following his surprise victory over Federer in last weekend's final in Halle - was philosophical about his latest draw misfortune.
"We've had a quick look at it and he always seems to get a tough draw, but he's not going to complain," Hewitt's manager David Drysdale told AAP.
"He can always get worse, he can always get better. He's just going to get on with it. It's a tough draw for everyone.
"He's feeling well, he's feeling good and is just looking forward to it all getting started now."
Lleyton Hewitt all class on grass: Roger Federer
ROGER Federer has isolated old foe Lleyton Hewitt as a probable Wimbledon threat.
Hewitt beat Federer for the first time since 2003 in the Gerry Weber Open final in Halle, Germany, on Sunday night and Federer yesterday hailed the Australian's grasscourt record.
"He knows how to play. Grass helps his serve, helps his game from the baseline," Federer said of his former doubles partner.
"His record proves it, you know. I think he has more wins on grass than I do. The guy has been on this surface for a very long time, so he has that competitive advantage over the other players."
Before the Germany decider, Federer had beaten Hewitt in 15 consecutive matches dating back to the 2003 Davis Cup semi-final.
World No. 2 Federer chided journalists after his first loss at the Halle event with a reminder of Hewitt's credentials and, fresh from practice at Wimbledon, picked up the thread yesterday.
"I thought he played well in Halle," Federer said.
"As the matches wore on, in the semis and the final, he got better, which is a good sign (for) the best of five sets. He's got so much routine on grass."
Hewitt's career record on grass is 98-23 compared with Federer's 92-13.
The All England Club, which uses a discretionary seeding formula based partially on grasscourt performances, agreed with Federer's estimation of Hewitt, shunting the baseliner from No. 26 in the world rankings to 15th seed at Wimbledon after he claimed the Halle title.
It means he will not face any of the high seeds until at least the fourth round.
Wimbledon officials caused a minor stir by promoting six-time champion Federer to the top of the seedings.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who missed last year's tournament as defending champion, is seeded second.
Triple All-England Club finalist Andy Roddick moved up two places from No. 7 to fifth seeding in a direct swap with Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who is the seventh seed.
Queenslander Sam Stosur earned her highest-ever grand slam singles seeding - sixth - after the withdrawal of Russia's world No. 5 Elena Dementieva.
French Open runner-up Stosur's world ranking is seven.
She is seeded to reach at least the quarter-finals. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic and Francesca Schiavone are the only players seeded higher than Stosur.
Wimbledon seeded female competitors in ranking order.
I can win Wimbledon - Hewitt
By Leo Schlink
LLEYTON Hewitt says he is injury-free, moving as well as ever and is right in the title mix at Wimbledon after staving off enforced retirement.
Hewitt, 29, has roared back into contention after ending a seven-year losing streak against Roger Federer in Halle last week.
The victory has left him confident he make a run deep into the second week.
"Obviously last week, winning in Halle over Roger, gave me a lot of confidence," Hewitt said.
"This week has been about timing, freshening up, really. I've had a great preparation. Now it's a matter of getting myself ready for five-set matches, which is what I pride myself on."
Hewitt, promoted to 15th seed, plays Argentine Maximo Gonzalez in the first round tomorrow.
The 2001 US Open and '02 Wimbledon champion admitted to thinking about retirement during injury crises over the past two years.
"For me, coming back from surgeries, that's when it gets in your mind a bit more that if you were going to hang it up," he said.
"You know what's in front of you to get back and you've got to be prepared to do the hard yards."
You never know what's around the corner. One bad injury and it could be over."
Hewitt has had surgery on both hips and has also had a minor knee operation. His most recent procedure was in February, which makes his effort to become only the second player to beat Federer on grass since 2003 even more remarkable.
"It's hard to see the big picture when you're doing the hard work and the rehab," Hewitt said.
"That was the most pleasing thing about playing well in Halle. Being competitive and taking it to Roger in the final after all the hard work and not knowing how quickly you would get back to that peak fitness, moving well and trusting your game again was the biggest relief.
"My fitness is fine. At the French Open, I started moving a lot better.
"In Houston and Barcelona, I was struggling a little bit with my movement. It was always going to take time to strengthen the muscles around the hip.
"On clay, you can get found out by the top players in terms of movement. In that match against Rafa at the French Open, I moved extremely well and that gave me confidence in Halle."
Federer has endorsed Hewitt as a legitimate title threat as the Swiss chases a seventh Wimbledon crown.
Hewitt said Federer was typically classy in defeat in Germany.
"At the net, he said that it was good to see me back and playing well again after injury," Hewitt said.
"I think he realises he's been pretty fortunate not to have any major injuries and setbacks - and that's one of the impressive things about his streak at No. 1, No. 2 in the world and all the major tournaments.
"He is obviously the favourite. Rafa [Nadal] is always going to be tough because he hits the ball and moves so well on any surface.
"There's a handful of guys who can win it - maybe six guys. I'm definitely in there with a chance."
The Sunday Telegraph June 20, 2010 12:01AM
Wimbledon 2010 - wywiad po zwyciêstwie w 2 rundzie
Q. Was that a day when things went as well as they could have in terms of tactics and the way you executed?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was good. I got off to a good start. I was on his serve from the start. You know, able to put pressure on him. The way he played was pretty much how I expected him to play.
He can come up with some great stuff out there and some loose points as well. It's a matter of just hanging on, giving a hundred percent in every point 'cause even when he's 40‑15 up, you can still get out of one of those games.
So, yeah, for the most part I played pretty well.
Q. Seven unforced errors. You must be pretty happy with your efficiency, too.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, yeah, I played a clean match, a smart match. I served well. Hit my spots really well where I wanted to today. Yeah, that was important because when he got an opportunity to have a swing, especially if I didn't get a high enough percentage of first serves in, that was going to make life tougher.
I was pretty happy when I did it.
Q. When you see an opponent break down physically like that, do you get any pleasure out of that, any kind of satisfaction?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well when he called the trainer, he actually served all right just the game before that. I didn't really know a hundred percent why he was actually calling the trainer in the first place. It wasn't that bad because he actually waited till the next changeover.
So must have gone downhill very quickly for him to be able to pull out.
Q. You've had a couple of long battles with Monfils. What do you need to do to beat him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's a different match to today. Different to my first round as well. He loves a target. He moves extremely well. Probably moves a bit better on clay and hard court than grass.
But, yeah, he's obviously got a big wingspan out there, good first serve. So it's a matter of, you know, going out there and still playing my game. I think I'll match up pretty well if I can go out and execute what I want to do.
Q. Does the fact that Roger Rasheed has been involved with you both give any significance to the next one?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't think so. I think once we get out there, yeah, we've played a couple times, I think he knows my game reasonably well and I know his pretty well. Once we're out there, it's going to be a different match because it's on grass, and I think that's going to be the biggest, you know, hopefully telling point.
Q. Did you sense any tension out in the crowd considering that England was playing at the same time?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, no.
Q. Are you going to watch Australia tonight?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I will. Nice I finished a bit earlier than a couple days ago. Yeah, it will be good.
Q. Have a couple of beers?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I won't have any beers. No, not tonight.
Q. All business?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, at the moment.
Q. Are you pleased physically to be getting a reasonably easy run so far?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, the first match was physically long points out there. It's always hard the first five‑setter on grass, I think. But I bounced back well today. Obviously, today didn't take a whole heap out of me, which is good.
Moving forward, you know, if you can keep doing that, putting yourself in a position where you feel good in the second week, it makes life a lot easier.
100 zwyciêstw na trawie L.Hewitta!
Wczorajsze zwyciêstwo nad Korolevem, w 2 rundzie Wimbledonu 2010 to by³o setny wygrany mecz przez Australijczyka na trawie. Jako pierwszy z wci±¿ graj±cych graczy Rusty tej sztuki dokona³.
Najwiêcej wygranych spotkañ na trawie (aktywni gracze):
1. Lleyton Hewitt - 100
2. Roger Federer - 98
3. Andy Roddick - 81
4. Rafael Nadal - 33
Hewitt records 100th win on grass
Lleyton Hewitt's assured progress towards the third round was given a further boost when his opponent, Evgeny Korolev of Kazakhstan, retired with a shoulder injury when trailing 6-4 6-4 3-0.
Korolev had looked in no trouble in the opening set as he slammed six aces but midway through the second set he called for the trainer and had extended treatment on his right arm and shoulder and his neck. More treatment followed at the end of the second set but it was clear his arm strength had gone and he called it a day after twice dropping serve in the third set.
It was Hewitt's 100th career victory on grass, the best of any active player, and his 550th win in total. The 2002 Wimbledon champion, seeded 15th here, is in rare form after hip surgery early in the year and came into Wimbledon on a confident high following his win over Roger Federer in the Halle final this month,which halted a 15-match losing streak against the Swiss.
Hewitt, who next takes on Gael Monfils, had vociferous Australian support on No1 Court against Korolev, and though the Kazak's first shot was an ace it was soon clear that Hewitt was in confident command, particularly on his own serve, on which he conceded a mere five points in that 35-minute first set.
Korolev, who switched nationality from Russian to Kazakh at the start of this year, put a temporary halt to the Hewitt domination by taking a 2-0 lead at the start of the second set, which he greeted with a pump of the fist. But the joy was short-lived.
Hewitt broke back at once, the start of a four-game streak, and after holding serve with his seventh and eighth aces Korolev decided it was time for the trainer to be summoned. When he resumed he could not save the second set from going to Hewitt, who landed 77 per cent of serves and won 88 per cent of them.
After 12 minutes of the third set and three games, all of which went the way of the 29-year-old Australian, Koroleve had had enough. It was his fourth loss in five matches at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon 2010 - wywiad po zwyciêstwie w 3 rundzie
Q. Can you sum it up, please, Lleyton.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was always going to be a tough match. You know, he's flashy, like most French guys. He's got a lot of firepower out there.
Yeah, he moves well. Obviously grass takes away a little bit of his movement, his best movement, I think.
But in terms of, yeah, his serve, he hits all the spots extremely well. So that's what makes it tough on a grass court. And I felt like I played well out there today. I played smart tennis.
Q. What's the best part about your game at the moment?
LLEYTON HEWITT: A little bit of everything. I served well for two sets today. Third set I didn't serve as well, but I didn't need to as much. But the first two sets I served extremely well. I took my chances. What Heals and I planned, I executed to perfection the first couple of sets. That was the pleasing part so far.
Every match is different, but today was a step up in class, and I rose for it.
Q. Second week, this is where you always wanted to be?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Absolutely. It's about surviving the first week, giving yourself a chance. Gets tougher now. Step up in class again against a top‑four opponent. Now see what happens.
Q. How do you feel about the shape you're in, the form you're in now, compared to the last few years at this stage?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, I feel good at the moment. Obviously, yeah, I've had a couple of rough times just with hips and feeling ‑‑ yeah, the first hip I played with when it wasn't even close to a hundred percent for quite a while. Yeah, it got to the stage I wanted to play Wimbledon, about a couple months after that I ended up having to have surgery. Yeah, that was frustrating, playing with that.
But, yeah, I'm probably more surprised how well I've been able to bounce back from the last couple of surgeries to how I'm moving and feeling physically, able to bounce back day after day at the moment, which is pleasing.
Q. Would this be the best look at this point at the weekend?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, every slam's different purely on the fact of it depends the matches and the time you spend on court. Right at the moment I'm feeling pretty good. My body's feeling good, which is a great thing. The hip's not a problem at all. Yeah, that's a huge positive.
Q. Perhaps the best for four or five years?
LLEYTON HEWITT: As I said, it's hard, purely because sometimes you survive a five‑setter or something in the first couple of matches, but that can wear on you a little bit. Yeah, right at the moment, you know, I've done everything I've needed to do.
Q. Were you especially pleased to stay in that tiebreak after you had a couple of fluffy forehands, to keep your focus and get through? I think that would have given him a big lift.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was a big set to get out of for me, one, because I felt like I had pretty much dominated the whole set. I didn't give him any chances on my service game whatsoever. I was the only one that had any chances.
I felt like I was, you know, getting into his service games, but he came up with some big serves at the right times when he needed to.
The breaker, it was a little bit of everything. But that's Monfils. You know, he'll come out and play a couple of blinding shots, and then he'll come and give you a couple of double‑faults.
It's not an easy person to play against because he doesn't give you that rhythm and you don't know what's going to happen.
Q. Can you talk about the Djokovic match, what you expect, what you'll need to do?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I haven't even thought about it yet. So, yeah, obviously get a couple days off now. So today we'll just enjoy getting through and being in the second week.
But, yeah, he's a quality opponent. As I said, it's another step up. You know, go out there. If I go out there the way that I've been playing and hitting the ball, I can give him a run for his money.
Q. How do you rate him as a grass courter, specifically?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's been a little bit up and down over the years. I played him at Queen's once the year that he made the final against Rafa at Queen's. I thought he played bloody well on grass that year in particular.
Then he came and lost to Safin second round I think here at Wimbledon, which was surprising. So he's been a little bit up and down on grass.
Q. Obviously our sport has three really distinct surfaces. Between clay, hard, grass, which surface do you think demands the most of an athlete?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. It's a tough question. You know, grass, you know, obviously it's an all‑court game. It's a lot harder on your body than people think, I think, purely because the ball is staying so low on a grass court. Sometimes it takes it out of your legs on a grass court.
With the clay, it's sliding. A bloody tough surface. But in terms of purely because of the rallies are more longer, that's the toughest part about clay.
Hard court, that's tough on your body just purely because of the jolting around on a hard surface.
So I can't pinpoint one.
Q. What did you make of Isner‑Mahut? You're a guy who has been around for a long time. Staying out there for 11 hours.
LLEYTON HEWITT: My matches wouldn't go that long. I'd either break or lose serve.
Q. What did you make of it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, it's amazing. You know, like everyone said before me, it's incredible, to think that both guys can serve that well and not play a couple of loose points.
I saw a little bit of it at patches, but you have to take your hat off to Mahut to be diving around. You know, he looked fresh as a daisy. Obviously, it was telling on John today, you know, to try and bounce back from that ‑ not only physically but emotionally, too, mentally. It would never have been easy for him today.
Q. You're one of the most intense players in our game. After winning the tiebreak, you were doing the fist pumps multiple times. How do you think the fire in your belly is now compared to six, seven years ago when you were a good bit younger?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think it's still the same.
Q. Why is that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: That's who I am. You can't buy that. You know, that's my personality coming out on the court. Yeah, I've always played with my heart on my sleeve.
Doesn't matter what the situation. If I'm up for the fight, then, you know, it's going to show at the right times, I think. It's not something you premeditate before you go out there to play.
Q. You're known for your wheels, a lot of things. But is that your greatest strength as a player?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm not sure. I'd like to think that I've got a few strengths, not just one.
Q. But where does your will to win come in?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, it's obviously up there. Wins a lot of matches for me. Yeah, I'd rather have it than not have it, that's for sure.
Q. Did you feel today that your performance went a long way to justifying the Club's decision to give you the boost in seeding?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, I didn't even think about that at all. Yeah, in terms of seedings, they have their own formula. It's not actually the Club choosing where you go, which I think a lot of people write up, which is wrong. They actually have a formula that they use every year.
Whether it's right or not, that's everyone's opinion. But they go by the rule that they set. It's not the same as when I first came on the tour and they just pick and choose where people would go.
Q. Apart from playing Novak at the Australian Open after you played Baghdatis in that dusk‑to‑dawn match, how has Novak hurt you in the past when he's beaten you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He moves exceptional. He's a great mover on the court. He's a great athlete. He's very solid from both sides of the court. Yeah, good first serve. Yeah, he's an all‑around player. He can slice, as well.
But, yeah, I think he can attack and defend extremely well. You know, when he won the Australian Open, that was probably his biggest asset. He was serving well, but he was attacking and defending well.
Q. What plans for the weekend? Going to get away from tennis at all?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, nothing. Still got to stay in the moment. Nothing different to any other off days.
Q. Looking to the match against Djokovic, do you see Monday's match, being in the form you're in, you beat Roger two weeks ago, playing on your favorite surface, do you see this match as being one of your best chances in probably the last three or four years of beating a top‑four player in a real billing Grand Slam match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. I always go out there and give myself a chance. I guess, you know, in the pecking order here, out of the top four guys, Novak is probably the fourth out of those top‑four guys on grass right at the moment.
But Roger and Rafa are the two main guys. I'm going to go out there and take it to him and see what I've got.
Q. In another event, Australia had a good result against Serbia. Is that going to give you a huge jolt of confidence in your matchup with Novak?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. It was a good result, but it wasn't good enough, you know.
Q. Did you give him a little bit of a hard time about that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, no. I think I made one comment. They were shattered, him and Zimonjic, in the locker room. They expected us to tank.
Wimbledon 2010 - wywiad po pora¿ce w 4 rundzie
Q. Two sets to love down, you came back, do you feel that was one that got away from you in the end?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes and no. Yeah, he went back to playing some of his better tennis again in the fourth set. I didn't serve as well as I needed to.
Yeah, to put him under pressure, you know, I had a couple of 30‑All games there late in the fourth set that I couldn't quite turn around. The two service games I lost in the fourth set, I really should have won both of those.
He hit some good returns, deep returns on them, but I was up in both service games.
Q. Could you tell there was anything wrong with him in that third set?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. He's always got something. So I wasn't focusing on it, yeah, at all. I was just trying to play my game. Yeah, he looked fine again in the fourth.
Q. It was a surprise he actually called for medical assistance at that stage in the match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, well, he looked pretty comfortable at two sets to love, so yeah.
Q. Must be pretty disappointed about the finish to your campaign?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I guess. Well, you know, always when you lose any Grand Slam, you're disappointed. Yeah, I won't really reflect on it right at the moment. Over the next couple weeks.
Yeah, a lot of positives to take out of the last month, though, so... Got to try and look at those as much as possible.
Q. Physically, you came up all right at the end of the game? Hip is fine?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, fine.
Q. The US Open is the last slam of the year. Your next big focus?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, obviously. Haven't even thought about it up till now. Yeah, obviously you start that hard court swing and the US Open Series, you know, then the big pitch is obviously the US Open, a place that I enjoy playing at, so...
Q. Still think you got a chance you'll come back here and go a bit further? Still think you can win this tournament again?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. As I said, I feel like I've got as good a chance as a few guys there that can win it. Yeah, I need a little bit of luck always. You know, even though Novak, it's possibly not his best surface, he's still a helluva player, especially from the back of the court. He's able to hit a lot of winners out there, you know, on any surface and he moves extremely well.
Yeah, I think if things fall my way, then yeah, sure.
Q. Did you think you had the match in your control at 2‑All when you broke back in the fourth set?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Uhm, yes. But, you know, he played a good game to break me first game of the ‑‑ he got lucky with the net cord but hit a few good returns the first game of the fourth set. He's that kind of opponent that, you know, if you don't get a high percentage of first serves in, he'll jump on your second serve and put you under pressure. Yeah, I was never taking anything for granted.
Q. He said he was suffering from stomach cramps. Has that ever happened to you, where you suffered, then regained your momentum later in the game?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I haven't had it.
Q. Did you change your tactics at all in the third set when you saw he was in trouble?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really. I still tried to, yeah, come in a little bit, put him under some pressure when I can. He's not the easiest person to come in against, though, purely because he moves so well at the back of the court. If you don't hit your approach shot in the exact right position, uhm, yeah, you're gonna get punished obviously.
So, uhm, I was trying to bide my time obviously. I didn't quite return as well as I would have liked.
Q. Is it hard not to think that you'll be 30 when you come back here next year, the chances are slipping away? Do you sense that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really, no. Yeah, I come back, I give a hundred percent and see what happens. I'd much rather be in my position of coming back at 30 and won it before than never have won it and trying to win your first one.
Yeah, that's the upside.
Hewitt still has hopes for Wimbledon
By the time he returns to Wimbledon next summer aged 30, Lleyton Hewitt belive he will still have his chances to win a second title.
The Aussie took the trophy in 2002, he exited at this just-completed edition in the fourth round to Novak Djokovic.
But that defeat does not dent the legendary Hewitt confidence. "I'd much rather be in my position of coming back at 30 and won it before than never have won it and trying to win your first one," he said. "I'll come back, give 100 per cent and see what happens. That's the upside."
Hewitt had given himself a chance at Wimbledon by winning the grass-court Halle title in Germany last month over Roger Federer. The six-time champion Swiss was eliminated in the Wimbledon quarter-finals by Tomas Berdych, who later put out Djokovic.
Hewitt's summer schedule on hardcourt will be full-on, with entries at Atlanta, Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati before the US Open in New York.
"I need a little bit of luck always," admitted the optimistic Aussie. "If things fall my way, there are a lot of positives to take out of this. My body is standing up well, I can compete with the top guys at this level."
Lleyton Hewitt: I have a Grand Slam win in me
A DEFIANT Lleyton Hewitt vowed to return to Wimbledon as a title contender despite a shattering fourth-round loss to an ailing Novak Djokovic.
Hewitt lamented poor late-match serving as he plunged to a 7-5 6-4 3-6 6-4 defeat, ending an otherwise excellent grasscourt season.
The South Australian bristled at the suggestion that, at 29, his chances of adding a second Wimbledon crown were slipping away.
"I'd much rather be in my position of coming back at 30 (next year) and won it before than never have won it and trying to win your first one," Hewitt said.
"Yeah, I'll come back, give 100 per cent and see what happens. That's the upside."
The downside was that although he lost the first two sets, Hewitt should have won the match.
Djokovic was ill and all the momentum was with the Australian heading into the fourth set. Yet Hewitt twice blundered badly on serve.
The first, from 40-15 in the opening game of the set, was costly, but redeemed three games later. The second from 30-0 in the ninth game was a fatal blow.
There was a time when the faintest scent of blood was sufficient to drive ruthless Hewitt over the line.
He partially conceded this was a huge opportunity that had slipped away.
"Yes and no," he said.
"He went back to playing some of his better tennis again in the fourth set. I didn't serve as well as I needed to.
"To put him under pressure, you know, I had a couple of 30-all games there late in the fourth set that I couldn't quite turn around.
"The two service games I lost in the fourth set, I really should have won both of those.
"He hit some good returns, deep returns on them, but I was up in both service games."
Djokovic has an unenviable reputation for taking the easy option when grand slam battles get tough.
The Serb has quit mid-match in the 2006 French Open quarters, Wimbledon 2007 semis and, as defending champion, at the 2009 Australian Open.
There was a real sense as the match entered the fourth set that Djokovic might again hoist the white flag. Instead he gambled and resumed the cavalier strokemaking that dominated Hewitt in the first two sets.
Djokovic was treated by a doctor at the end of the second set for a stomach problem - and could barely move in the third set.
Hewitt had hoped to follow his victory in the final against Roger Federer in Halle, Germany, with a deep run at his favourite tournament.
He will next focus on the North American hardcourt summer circuit, starting with Atlanta, Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati before the US Open in New York in late August.
"Obviously you start that hardcourt swing and the US Open Series," he said.
"Then the big pitch is obviously the US Open, a place that I enjoy playing at," he said.
After that is another Australian Open campaign and, ultimately, a 13th tilt at Wimbledon.
"I feel like I've got as good a chance as a few guys there that can win it," Hewitt said.
"I need a little bit of luck always. I think if things fall my way, then yeah, sure. There are a lot of positives to take out of this.
"My body is standing up well, knowing that I can compete with the top guys at this level."
Andy Roddick 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 9-7.
The other match-ups are Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Andy Murray and Robin Soderling against Rafael Nadal in a French Open final rematch.
Aussie tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt loses battle for 'come on' catchcry
TENNIS star Lleyton Hewitt has lost a legal battle over his famous "come on" catchcry.
Lleyton Hewitt Marketing failed to remove a trademark owned by Brisbane man John Sheils which consisted of the words "come on" accompanied by a fist-pumping gesture.
Mr Sheils said he designed the mark with his two daughters and registered it in 2004 with the intention of creating a mark "representative of all Australian sports people."
But Hewitt's team argued the words and fist pump were associated with the tennis star in the eyes of the public.
Hewitt, 29, is not the only tennis player known for the "come on" shout. Maria Sharapova is also known to utter the phrase, accompanied by a fist pump, when she wins a point.
But Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal prefers to scream "vamos," which means "let's go."
Hewitt ready for run to the US Open
No one is happier than Lleyton Hewitt to be back onto the hardcourts, with a six-week run until the start of the US Open a refreshing challenge to the revitalised Australian.
Hewitt, seeded third at the Atlanta Tennis Championships, has won 11 of his 28 career trophys in North America and is now well-placed to play on the continent with his family base now a flight away in the Bahamas. Atlanta is back on the ATP calendar after a nine-year absence in the wake of a financial deal with the bankrupt Indianapolis event. Hewitt played the event in 1999 on clay.
"I'm quite comfortable on the hard courts," said the 29-year-old. "I don't think it's too early to start. I'll take next week and one more off before the Open (which begins August 30).
The Australian says he's gained renewed confidence after beating Roger Federer in the final on grass in Halle, Germany before Wimbledon. "Winning Halle gave me a lot of confidence, especially after beating Roger on grass in a final. "The top players like him all tend to play their best at the business end of a tournament."
No. 30 Hewitt's last match was the Wimbledon fourth round, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
"It's been great being able to have some quality family time since finishing at Wimbledon," he told his website. "I've enjoyed spending all my time with (pregnant wife) Bec, Mia and Cruz away from the tennis courts.
"But it's once again business as usual. I've been training in the heat for the last week and preparing for the American swing towards the US Open."
Tatusowi znowu co¶ dokucza...
Atlanta Open
No. 3 seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia lost the late match 4-6, 2-6 to Lukas Lacko of Slovakia.
Hewitt blamed an injury, which he refused to disclose, with keeping him from playing at full capacity. He acknowledged, however, that the injury occurred before he arrived in Atlanta.
"On Sunday, I didn't think I'd be able to compete here," Hewitt said. "For me, it was a good effort by the medical staff to be able to get me close to being 100 per cent here."
Lleyton Hewitt crashes in Atlanta to little-known Lukas Lacko
A ginger Lleyton Hewitt has made a losing start to the American hardcourt season, suffering a straight sets defeat in his first match at the Atlanta Tennis Championships.
Little-known Slovak Lukas Lacko, ranked No.76 in the world, thumped Australia's No.3 seed 6-4 6-2 to advance to his fifth quarter-final of the season.
In his first match since Wimbledon, Hewitt dropped serve five times before revealing he'd been unable to practice the past couple days.
“I didn't quite have a lot of rhythm out there,” said Hewitt, who underwent a second round of hip surgery in January.
“Pushing off my serve wasn't the best. That was putting me under a lot of pressure on my service games.”
Lacko sensed there was something troubling Hewitt.
“I played a good ending to the first set and, after breaking in the second, he seemed like he had some minor problems,” Lacko said.
“He needed a couple more steps on his strokes. He was late everywhere. I took advantage of this.
“I tried to be focused only, to hold the serve, not to make his mistakes and make him run.”
Hewitt, 29, has two more tournaments to tune his game ahead of the US Open, which gets underway in New York on August 30.
He will play the Toronto Masters from August 9, then the Cincinnati Masters before having a week off prior to Flushing Meadows.
American top seed Andy Roddick, meanwhile, resumed where he left off nearly a decade ago in Atlanta. A 6-1 6-7 (7-1) 6-3 win over Rajeev Ram put Roddick on the winners list nine years after his last appearance in Atlanta.
Agence France-Presse
Hewitt keeping his injury secret to himself
Lleyton Hewitt seems to have taken a page from the Serena Williams playbook on "secrets," with the Australian refusing to reveal the nature of an injury which he blames for a defeat in Atlanta.
The third seed was dumped out in the second round showing some discomfort by Slovak Lukas Lacko in quick straight sets to start his hardcourt summer off on a low note.
But the 29-year-old Hewitt, who underwent his second hip surgery only last January, would only say he couldn't play at his full potential on the night. He did say he had the problem before arriving in Atlanta for the event which begins the run to next month's start at the US Open.
"On Sunday, I didn't think I'd be able to compete here," said the 2001 Open champion, now ranked 30th. "It was a good effort by the medical staff to be able to get me close to being 100 percent here."
Hewitt, now based in the Bahamas, had the whole team on had in the steaming hot southern city. His traveling party not only included wife Bec Cartwright, pregnant with the couple's third child, but the couple's two children as well as Hewitt's parents, at one-time constant fixtures when their son ruled the sport a decade ago.
Hewitt may not be changing his original playing plan, which was to include time off next week followed by the Washington event from August 2. He also hopes to play the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters prior to the August 30 start of the Open in New York.
Hewitt out of Toronto Masters with calf strain
Lleyton Hewitt has pulled out of Toronto with a calf strain he suffered in Washington. Writing on his website, Hewitt said he plans to be back at Cincinnati.
Hewitt bez trenera
Nathan Healey zrezygnowa³ z posady trenera Lleytona Hewitta. Szkoleniowie mieszka ze swoj± rodizn± w Philadeplphii i potrzeb± spêdzania wiêkszej ilo¶ci zasu z najbli¿szymi t³umaczy decyzjê o rozstaniu ze sztabem najlepszego australijskiego tenisisty ostatnich lat.
Lleyton Hewitt coach Nathan Healey quits
LLEYTON Hewitt is unlikely to appoint a new full-time coach until next season following the surprise resignation of Nathan Healey.
Hewitt will rely on the input of former player Brett Smith at the US Open on Monday after Healey's decision to quit because of family reasons.
Smith is the son of Hewitt's first coach Peter Smith.
Healey lives in Philadephia with his wife Marnie and the couple's young child. The New South Welshman has recently expressed a desire to spend more time at home.
He is understood to grown tired of life on the road and quit two weeks ago.
Healey worked as Hewitt's coach after being appointed to replace in August, 2009.
Hewitt bez trenera przed US Open
Podczas zbli¿aj±cego siê US Open, australijski tenisista Lleyton Hewitt pojawi siê na kortach bez swojego dotychczasowego trenera, Nathana Healy’ego. Obaj panowie zakoñczyli wspó³pracê.
O tym, ¿e Hewitt nie bêdzie ju¿ trenowa³ pod okiem Healy’ego poinformowa³ mened¿er tenisisty - David Drysdale. Przyzna³ on, ¿e powodem odej¶cia trenera by³y sprawy rodzinne, a rozstanie odby³o siê w pokojowej atmosferze.
Na razie Australijczyk nie zamierza zatrudniaæ nowego opiekuna. – Usi±dziemy i pomy¶limy o przysz³ych kilku miesi±cach. Najprawdopodobniej nie bêdziemy niczego zmieniaæ przed koñcem roku – doda³ Drysdale.
Hewitt, który w 2001 roku zwyciê¿y³ w US Open, w tegorocznym nowojorskim turnieju Wielkiego Szlema bêdzie rozstawiony z numerem 32.
Hewitt out for three weeks with hand surgery
Lleyton Hewitt will miss up to three weeks of autumn ATP play as he heals a hand injury suffered in a Davis Cup tie last weekend.
Australian captain John Fitzgerald said his national No. 1 player hurt himself in the weekend doubles rubber against Belgium in the relegation play after winning his day one singles match.
"Lleyton has a strain in the back of his hand close to his wrist - it was painful," said the skipper. "He sustained it late in the second set. The doc says he will need three weeks to get over it."
The diagnosis could endanger what had been planned as a full schedule of indoor play for the world No. 36.
Hewitt had been hoping to compete in Tokyo sarting in a fortnight and at the Shanghai Masters 1000 next month. The 29-year-old has performed indifferently since a Wimbledon fourth-round appearance against Novak Djokovic, losing in the first round of the US Open to Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu after winning just one summer hardcourt match in North America.
Hewitt may have got it right on Commonwealth chaos
Lleyton Hewitt may have had a premonition that all would not be well when he withdrew from consideration months ago for the Australian team at the Commonwealth Games.
Now, the former No. 1 is looking like a mind-reader with organisation of the event starting in little more than a week in New Delhi sinking in chaos.
Besides huge security concerns, there are also pressing logistical issues - not to mention a pedestrian bridge which collapsed and injured more than 20 at the ill-starred Games site. Officials are even voicing concern that the event may have to be canceled or delayed.
Among other problems - not only unique to tennis players - athletes are due to arrive within days and only half of the tower blocks which will serve as their temporary homes are completed.
The signs could point to an aborted debut for tennis at the event, where noted British Commonwealth players like Hewitt and Andy Murray are giving the competition a wide berth and sticking to their original ATP schedules for 2010. Hewitt would not have been able to play in any case after injuring his hand in weekend Davis Cup play and now set to miss the next three weeks.
Games bosses have made a plea to the Indian government to step in and remedy the situation with hours passing quickly until the October 3 start. The tennis event runs from October 4-10.
Hand injury puts Lleyton Hewitt out of Malaysia, Japan, Shanghai titles
LLEYTON Hewitt faces an uphill battle to recover from ligament damage in his right hand.
Hewitt, 29, has withdrawn from the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.
He will struggle to be fit for the Japan Open in Tokyo and the Shanghai Masters next month.
"The injury is a week-to-week proposition," Hewitt's manager David Drysdale said.
"The only real remedy is rest so we'll have to see how the injury progresses in regard to Tokyo and Shanghai."
There is a chance Hewitt might not play again this season.
The former world champion suffered the injury while winning his opening singles match in the doomed world group qualifying match with Belgium in Cairns last week.
The South Australian's absence from the reverse singles saw Australia plummet to a humbling 2-3 defeat to competition minnow Belgium.
Come on, Hewitt
Ka¿dy kibic powie, ¿e s³ynne „Come on!” to znak firmowy Lleytona Hewitta. Ka¿dy, tylko nie pochodz±cy z Irlandii Josh Shiels, który w 2004 roku… zarejestrowa³ ten okrzyk w australijskim urzêdzie patentowym. £atwo zgadn±æ, ¿e tenisista ruszy³ do kontrataku, ale przegra³ w pierwszej instancji. S±d przyzna³ racjê Shielsowi, a na Hewitta na³o¿y³ obowi±zek pokrycia kosztów postêpowania.
Hewitt zapowiedzia³, ¿e na pewno bêdzie drugi set.
A co na to Rafael Nadal? Mo¿e powinien szybko zastrzec swoje jeszcze bardziej popularne „Vamos!”?
Hewitt could shake up his start to 2011 season
Lleyton Hewitt may be considering a change in his longtime January schedule, with the 29-year-old possibly skipping an old reliable Aussie tune-up event to start the 2011 season.
The Hewitt camp has been on hold as the main man heals from a hand injury which he suffered in Australia's Davis Cup loss last month in relegation play to Belgium in Cairns. The problem forced Hewitt to skip the Asian swing of the ATP, which wraps up next week with the Shanghai Masters.
After spats in the past - now healed - with the Hopman Cup in Perth, Hewitt has often followed up that event with a place in Sydney on the ATP the week prior to the Australian Open. But his progress has been halted in the quarter-finals in three of his last four appearances.
With two hip surgeries in his medical record, the former No. 1 must now try and pace his game as the fiery little man in a new world of big guns.
The only sure date for next season is Hewitt's third consecutive appearance at the eight-nation Hopman Cup from January 1 along with Alica Molik on the Aussie team. He could then well choose to break with old habits and play in the Kooyong exhibition in Melbourne in the run-up to the January 17 start of the Open.
That special event is where Hewitt got his start as a raw teenager in 1998, beating Andre Agassi in the semis before going on win the title.
Hewitt signs on for debut at January Kooyong event
Lleyton Hewitt will be making a huge change in his Australian Open preparation by playing at the AAMI Classic in Melbourne the week before the season's first Grand Slam in January.
Officials said they are also trying to lure Swede Robin Soderling, world No. 5, into the eight-man field.
Hewitt, 29, is so keen to finally win his home major after well over a decade of trying that he will try anything to make sure of his preparation. That will now include skipping his usual Sydney ATP event to play in the four-day competition at Kooyong club, former home of the Open until the late 1980s.
Joining Hewitt in the field will be Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, Russian Mikhail Youzhny, Spain's Fernando Verdasco, and the French pair of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 Australian Open finalist, and Gael Monfils.
Promoter Colin Stubs and Hewitt go back more than a decade. "I was involved with the ATP Adelaide tournament in 1998, where Lleyton was the recipient of his first wild card," said the promoter. He went on to beat Andre Agassi in the semis and Jason Stoltenberg in the final.
"I have been watching his career with interest since then. His manager called me recently seeking to explore the possibility of varying his Australian Open preparation. An agreement to participate was quickly confirmed."
HEWITT FAMILY WELCOMES BABY DAUGHTER
Lleyton Hewitt and wife Bec announced the arrival of their third child this week, a daughter born on 19 October in Sydney, Australia.
Hewitt confirmed the newest addition Saturday, writing to his text subscribers: "Bec, Mia, Cruz and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our family last Tuesday. Mum and baby are great! Dad, big sister and brother elated."
The Hewitts wed in July 2005 and welcomed their first daughter, Mia, later that year. They had their second child, son Cruz, in December 2008. They will announce the name of their new baby via text message later this week.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … ghter.aspx
Graty. :zadowolony:
McEnroe believes Hewitt could be a spent force
John McEnroe just can't miss the chance to pass an opinion, and his visit to Sydney for a senior event seemed the perfect time to comment on the decline and fall of Lleyton Hewitt.
The the former No. 1, now aged 29 and veteran of two hip surgeries and a hand injury which has kept him idle since September, is hoping to kick-start 2011 at the Hopman Cup in Perth. But his No. 56 ranking will only make life more frustrating for the two-time Grand Slam winner.
Mac believes that despite best efforts and a will to struggle, Hewitt's glory days are in the rearview mirror. "At this point, to expect him to win a major would be asking too much of him," said the 51-year-old American, winner of seven majors before his retirement in 1992 at age 32. "I'd hope he'd be healthy enough to be a contender on some level.
"And if he's happy being a quarter-finalist at a major, it will be interesting to see how much longer he wants to go on. I'm sure he's not the type of person that is happy being 56 in the world.
"Maybe deep down in his soul he believes he can still do it. If that's the case, he has every right to keep trying. The reason he was a champion is because he believed in himself when other people maybe didn't."
Tony Roche nowym trenerem Hewitta.
Roche to coach Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt will join forces for the second time in his career with coach Tony Roche in an effort to lift his flagging world ranking.
The two-time grand slam-winner is training after an injury layoff and announced Friday he will re-unite with Roche in 2011.
Roche previously coached Hewitt between July 2007 and August 2009 and was last month re-appointed Australian Davis Cup coach under new captain Pat Rafter.
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Hewitt said he would have Roche as his main coach but would work also with former player Josh Eagle.
"I'm really looking forward to working with both guys and feel that if I can keep the body performing then I can climb back up the ranks again," said Hewitt, who has slid to No.55 in the rankings.
"I have been discussing this with Rochey for a few months now prior to him accepting the job as Australian Davis Cup coach, and when he asked me about taking that role with Pat, I thought that would work in well with what we were planning for myself."
Roche said Hewitt was still a "feared player" despite his slide down the rankings and eight years since his last grand slam title win.
"He is constantly working on his game to improve, which is always a good sign that his focus and desire is still there," Roche said.
"He is a hard worker on and off the court, and Josh and I believe he can return to the top with some good results."
Hewitt is back on court hitting and building towards the Australian summer after a hand injury forced him off the tour in September.
"If the past week is any indication, the body is feeling good, the mind is fresh and by January I will be ready to go for my 15th year on the Tour," Hewitt said.
Hewitt back in his training comfort zone with Roche
Lleyton Hewitt is back on the practise court after sitting out with a hand injury since late September, with the 29-year-old optimistic about his chances to start 2011 in winning style prior to the Australian Open.
The one-time No. 1 will play for the first time at the eight-man AAMI Classic at Melbourne's Kooyong club, with fences finally mended after years of on-again, off-again feuding with organiser Colin Stubs, once the Aussie Open tournament director. That event comes the week after the Hopman Cup mixed teams event where Hewitt will also appear.
Hewitt ignored the past as he praised Kooyong, where he will make final Open tune-up preparations the week before the start of the season's first major. "I'm back hitting the ball again so it's all good," said Hewitt, back with former coach Tony Roche as the pair seek to turn back the clock on both their careers.
"It took a couple of weeks to get back in the rhythm of hitting again. I've done some fitness training before I actually got on the court, which held me in good stead to be able to go out there and train with Rochey and do the hard yards again."
Hewitt called his former Davis Cup coach and long-ago mentor to Ivan Lendl "a big part of my life, on and off the court. I respect him, what he has got to say, always. He's one of the greatest coaches out there, so I'm privileged to have him in my corner." Roche will serve as Davis Cup coach again a decade after he last held the job under the new Patrick Rafter regime.
It's not over yet for Lleyton Hewitt
A DANGEROUSLY fit looking Lleyton Hewitt yesterday scuttled talk he would retire after next month's Australian Open.
Hewitt, 29, the father of three children under the age of six who has reunited with coach Tony Roche, again said he would bow out on his terms.
And the former world champion is determined not to leave the sport until he has returned to the top 10 of world tennis.
He is ranked No. 54 after hip and knee surgery and a season-ending hand injury.
"This Open won't be my last," he said. at Kooyong.
"With the injuries and small setbacks I have had, retirement goes through your mind a bit more because you never know what is absolutely around the corner.
"The fortunate thing about tennis is I can retire on my terms pretty much unless injury dictates I can't go out there.
"It's not so much like a team sport where you have your coach making the decision.
"I still feel I am playing my best tennis.
He said he and Roche were concentrating on his fitness and service game.
"He's one of the greatest coaches out there so I'm extremely privileged to have him in my corner," he said. "He's a great thinker of the game."
Hewitt said he had played well at Wimbledon after hip and knee surgery and had competed against the best.
His 2010 highlight was a win over world No. 2 Roger Federer in the final at Halle final in June, ending a 15-match losing streak to the Swiss star.
The win had proved he still had what it takes to tackle the best players.
He will contest the Hopman Cup in Perth from January 1 before tackling the AAMI Classic at Kooyong from January 12-15.
"If I play a full year I would like to finish in the Masters Cup (Barclay's ATP World Tour Final)," he said.
"If I do what I think I'm capable of doing, it's a realistic goal."
Hewitt is the only Australian entrant at the AAMI Classic.
He said competing in the Classic for the first time was all about the best preparation for another tilt at the elusive Australian Open.
"It's about trying something different," he said. "It could be the right preparation for me."
"The Hopman Cup and coming to Kooyong I'm guaranteed at least three matches in both events, if not four."
"That gives me great preparation, for the Open.
Defending champion Fernando Verdasco, Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, Mikhail Youzhny, Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Hewitt were yesterday joined in the Classic by Nikolay Davydenko and Jurgen Melzer.
He said a "fresh approach" could finally deliver an elusive Australian Open crown next month.
Hewitt will join the eight-man field, led by Czech world No.5 Tomas Berdych, at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne for the first time in his 15-year professional career as he prepares for the grand slam.
Austrian world No.11 Jurgen Melzer and No.22 Russian Nikolay Davydenko were announced on Monday as the final two entries.
said."I spoke to Rochey (coach Tony Roche) and we came up with the idea of a fresh start after the injuries and the longer lay-off, it could be the right preparation for me."
The father of three will turn 30 in February but says he has no plans to retire any time soon.
He declared that win or lose, the 2011 Australian Open wouldn't be his last.
"This won't be my last but I don't have a number," said the former US Open and Wimbledon champion.
"The injuries I've had and the small set-backs with those, it probably goes through your mind a little bit more because you never know what's absolutely around the corner.
"But the fortunate thing about tennis is that I can retire on my terms.
"But I still feel when I play my best tennis ... I'm able to compete against the best guys."
Hewitt said his June tournament win at Halle over Roger Federer, which snapped a 15-match losing streak against the Swiss, was "huge" and proved he still had what it took.
"If I play a full year I'd like to finish in the Masters Cup," said Hewitt when asked of his 2011 ambitions.
"That would be a realistic goal but it's not something I'm focused on, ranking points, and I won't go chasing small tournaments to get in there.
"But if I do what I think I'm capable of in the bigger tournaments and especially the grand slams than I think it's a realistic goal."
Another big part of Hewitt's new start is the re-appointment of his former coach Roche, who also coached former world No.1 Federer.
Hewitt said they were focused on fitness, as well as his service game.
"He's one of the greatest coaches out there so I'm extremely privileged to have him in my corner.
"He's a great thinker of the game."
2010 w liczbach
Bilans spotkañ: 22-12
Ranking: 54
Tytu³y: 1
Fina³y: 0
Zarobki: $531,666
Hewitt taking aim at 2011 ATP goals
Australian No. 54 Lleyton Hewitt will be nothing if not refreshed after not playing since September, with the world's former top player bidding for a modest comeback for the 2011 season, which begins for him in just over a fortnight.
The 29-year-old will lineup at the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth from New Year's Day alongside teammate Alicia Molik, another comeback candidate. Hewitt will then fine-tune for the Australian Open as he plays the week before the January 17 start of the major at the AAMI Classic at Melbourne's Kooyong Club.
Hewitt, who has undergone two hip surgeries and has recovered from a hand injury suffered during September Davis Cup play, is confident that his renewed coaching collaboration with longtime mentor Tony Roche will help pave the way for an ATP fightback.
"Obviously not playing matches toward the end of this year, at least playing the Hopman Cup and coming here to Kooyong, I'm definitely guaranteed at least three matches in both events, if not four," said two-time Grand Slam winner Hewitt.
"My program gives me great preparation for the Australian Open. I spoke to Rochey and we came up with the idea of a fresh start after the injuries and the longer lay-off, it could be the right preparation for me."
The father of three including a child born only weeks ago, would like to somehow rise into the ranking Top eight for 2011 and qualify for the season-ending World Tour Finals in London. "That would be a realistic goal but it's not something I'm focused on, ranking points, and I won't go chasing small tournaments to get in there. But if I do what I think I'm capable of in the bigger tournaments and especially the grand slams than I think it's a realistic goal."
Lleyton Hewitt still a danger, insists Andy Roddick
ANDY Roddick says Lleyton Hewitt is anything but a spent force as both former world No.1s strive to rebound from disheartening ends to 2010.
A refreshed and renewed Roddick officially began preparations from next month's Australian Open with an hour-long hit at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday, where next week he'll attempt to defend his Brisbane International title.
At the same time, Hewitt will make his long-awaited comeback from a broken hand by teaming with Alicia Molik in the Hopman Cup in Perth.
Hewitt's injury, sustained in Australia's gut-wrenching 3-2 Davis Cup world group play-off loss to Belgium in September, has seen the 29-year-old drop to 54th on the world rankings after starting the year at No.22.
But Roddick firmly believes Hewitt still has what it takes and can again return to the top-10, so long as his body holds up.
"Lleyton is always a champ,'' the Texan said.
"With him it's health at this point. There's no question whenever he's been able to put together six, seven, eight healthy months he's put together some goods results.
"The last two years probably been the best of his career so far but if he's healthy and motivated he knows how to win tennis matches.
"Those intangibles are something that only a few guys have and he certainly has them.''
Like Hewitt, Roddick has plenty to prove to himself after an illness-wrecked season which originally promised much after title wins in Brisbane and Miami.
The world No.8 crashed out early in the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open but a case of the energy-sapping disease mononucleosis explained his loss of form.
"For me it's just a matter of getting right, getting healthy - I battled sickness for a big part of last year and from there I just felt like I was playing catch-up,'' he said.
"You train hard and you get hurt in training coming back. You don't train you rest and you try and come back and your body is not right and it shows.
"I think it's the first time I've felt right since last May so when you are fit it takes a lot of the mental pressure off.
"You feel like you can play any way you want so I feel fresh and I feel enthused and ready.''
Having worked overtime in the off-season, Roddick felt Brisbane could again propel him up the rankings after beating Czech Radek Stepanek to win last year's final.
"I came in last year and hadn't been playing much so this was a really good springboard into the year for me,'' he said, adding it was the best preparation for Melbourne Park.
"I like being in the same country but also I like this event - my wife enjoys coming here so let's not pretend I make any decisions.''
He will start as the second seed behind world No.4 Swede Robin Soderling when the tournament starts on Sunday, but is pleased Rafter Arena has included Hawk-Eye for the first time after being a critic of its absence in 2010.
"It will keep me out of trouble,'' Roddick said.
Tournament organisers delayed naming the contentious third and final men's wildcard on Tuesday, making young gun Bernard Tomic sweat a little longer while Melbourne teenager Sally Peers received the third women's wildcard behind Jelena Dokic and Sophie Ferguson.
Hewitt aims for third-time lucky at Hopman Cup
Lleyton Hewitt is counting on third time lucky as he prepares to carry the flag for host Australia during the weekend start of the eight-nation Hopman Cup mixed team event with former coach Tony Roche in his corner.
Hewitt, once a world No.1 now languishing on 54th after two hip surgeries, is teamed with another old campaigner in Alicia Molik at the Burswood Dome, where play begins at the weekend. Hewitt has never gotten Australia out of the group stage in Perth, but is hoping that his third consecutive appearance at the pre-Australian Open event might do the trick.
He and Roche worked together from 2007 to 2009 before a mutual decision to split. But the pair of Aussie are rolling back the years in another pupil-coach effort.
Australia are paired in a group which also includes Serbia, headed by world No. 3 Novak Djokovic and former women's No. 1 Ana Ivanovic. "Hewitt plays Djokovic and the question is, where's he at," said tournament director Paul McNamee, "I know Lleyton is really looking forward to that match, he wanted
Novak in his group." McNamee also praised the return of Roche. "With Rochey, it's a serious appointment with an elder statesman. They won't be hanging out; it's business."
Also in the field, Scot Andy Murray (with Laura Robson) and American John Isner, the marathon man of Wimbledon who will play alongside Melanie Oudin. Isner was starting a mid-week journey which would take him from the snow-bound eastern US to Australia by way of New Zealand.
His first win in seven years against Roger Federer has Lleyton Hewitt pumped
But when the Australian says no rival will be better prepared for this season than him, few would argue.
And Hewitt, 29, has his sights firmly on a 15th Australian Open in Melbourne in a fortnight.
"I've had no interruptions this year," he said. "When you train extremely hard . . . sometimes you get some little niggles and you have to take a couple of days off here or there, but this year there has been none of that.
"I've been (training) at least six days a week, sometimes seven, going as hard as I can.
"Personally, I don't feel there is anyone out there who has trained as hard as I have in the last two months."
Hewitt's season begins today in Perth when Australia plays Belgium in the Hopman Cup.
In the past three seasons, the dual grand slam winner's body has betrayed him several times.
He had operations on the hip problems that slowed his stride, then had some minor surgery on a knee.
But a recent wrist injury may have proved a blessing in disguise.
However, it was dire for Australian tennis at the time because it forced him to withdraw from the second singles rubber in a Davis Cup playoff that would have seen Australia return to the world group.
But the wrist problem did not hinder his general fitness in the manner the other lay-offs did.
Yet Hewitt's absence again underlined his status as our only true world-class player.
"I've mixed it up a lot. Obviously I still do a lot of the sand hills and a lot of stair work, agility stuff and sprints," he said.
"It's been a whole range of different stuff; a lot of AFL kind of drills this year as well.
"I feel like I've be able to mix it up really well and, sort of in the last week and a half, taper off and do quick reaction stuff, which isn't quite as grinding on your body physically and mentally. But believe me, the first five or six weeks were bloody tough."
Hewitt's ranking has again slid given his absence from the tour _ it's 54 _ but it is not hard to see why the Australian has reason for optimism, particularly given he has resumed working with coach Tony Roche.
Australia's greatest Davis Cup player believes he can still get better. His first victory over Roger Federer in seven years in Germany in June proved he could still beat the best, he counters.
"The pleasing thing for me was that Roger on grass is a really tough player to beat any time of the year, especially in Halle where I'm not actually sure if he's ever lost there before that, so he had a great run going there," Hewitt said. "So, to beat a guy like Roger in the final of a tournament as well, after I lost so many matches to him, gave me a lot of confidence.
"It doesn't matter how small the tournament is, when a great player gets in the final of a tournament, they want to win it."
Hewitt training harder than anyone
LLEYTON Hewitt on Friday claimed a vital Hopman Cup edge, insisting he has trained harder than any other player in the world during the past two months.
Sidelined since September with a hand injury, and the winner of only two matches since Wimbledon in July, Hewitt resumes his career in Australia's opening-round match against Belgium at Burswood.
Hewitt has been powerless to arrest a ranking slide, he now sits at an unbecoming 54th in the world, but he has used the down time to rebuild fitness.
"There've been no interruptions this year," he said.
"When you train extremely hard, as I have this year, sometimes you get little niggles throughout and you have to have a couple of days off here and there.
"This year, there's been none of that.
"I've been (training) at least six days a week, some seven days, going as hard as I can.
"Personally, I don't feel there's anyone else out there who's trained as hard as I have the last two months.
"Where my body's at for a 29-year-old at the moment, I feel good."
The 2011 pre-season is a far cry from the 2010 version when the former world No. 1 injured a hip during his first training session at the Hopman Cup and was forced to have surgery after the Australian Open.
The Wimbledon and US Open winner opens the new year today against Belgian Ruben Bemelmans as Alicia Molik prepares to face Justine Henin.
Hewitt is guaranteed at least three matches in Perth, including what is certain to be an illuminating clash with Serb Novak Djokovic on Tuesday.
It will be in the heat of battle that Hewitt will earn a better understanding of the value of the gruelling cross-training he has undergone with Nathan Martin and coach Tony Roche.
"I feel good. I had a bit longer off than what I would have liked, (but) I'm happy with where my body is at at the moment," he said.
"For me, that's the most important thing.
"If I feel confident and know I've done all the hard work, I can go out there and hopefully execute what I've been working on.
"I'm not going to let everybody know what I've been doing, but there's a few different things.
"I've mixed it up a lot. A lot of the sandhills, a lot of stairwork, agility stuff, sprints - it's been a whole range of different stuff, a lot of AFL kind of stuff this year, as well.
"The last week or so, tapered off and done a lot more quick reaction stuff, which isn't quite as grinding on your body, physically and mentally.
"Believe me, the first five or six weeks were bloody tough."
Asked why, at the age of almost 30, he was prepared to submit his battered body to such rigours, Hewitt said: "I still think I can get better.
"As long as the motivation is there and I want to go out there and compete and become a better player, I'll do it until it's not there anymore I guess."
And with watershed victory over nemesis Roger Federer in Halle final in June, Hewitt's ambitions are familiarly lofty.
"It's always grand slams," he said. "The ranking takes care of itself.
"If I'm able to play a full calendar year, the majority of the tournaments I want to play, and do well and play to the best of my ability, the ranking will be up there anyway.
"The focus for me is making a schedule that best prepares me for the four majors and I think, at the moment, I've done that.
"For me, it's going out there and competing.
"My main focus is obviously the Australian Open in a couple of weeks time.
"Between here at the Hopman Cup and next week in Kooyong, I am guaranteed six bloody tough matches and that's exactly what I need at the moment.
Hopman Cup teams
GROUP A
- Serbia: Ana Ivanovic, Novak Djokovic
- Belgium: Justine Henin, Ruben Bemelmans
- Australia: Alicia Molik, Lleyton Hewitt
- Kazakhstan: Yaroslava Shvedova, Andrey Golubev
GROUP B
- Great Britain: Laura Robson, Andy Murray
- Italy: Francesca Schiavone, Potito Starace
- France: Kristina Mladenovic, Nicolas Mahut
- US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands, John Isner
Hewitt confident hard pre-season will pay off
AUSTRALIAN tennis veteran Lleyton Hewitt is confident a career-best pre-season has him primed for a charge on the 2011 grand slam circuit.
Hewitt will team up with Alicia Molik in tomorrow's Hyundai Hopman Cup opener, where Australia will take on Belgium.
The tie is an ironic one for Hewitt, whose first match back from an injury layoff will be against the last man he played - Ruben Bemelmans.
Hewitt said he felt refreshed after a solid build-up and was confident his immediate injury woes were behind him.
"(My pre-season) has been good, we've had no interruptions this year," Hewitt said.
"When you train extremely hard, I feel like there's sometimes you get little niggles throughout and you've got to have a few days off here and there.
"This year there's been none of that, I've been six days a week, sometimes even seven days a week, going as hard as I can.
"Personally, I don't feel like there's anybody out there who's trained as hard as I have these past two months.
"So, where my body's at the moment, for a 29-year-old, I feel pretty good."
2010 was a rollercoaster year for Hewitt, who injured his hip in his season-opening tournament, the Hopman Cup, forcing him to undergo surgery after the Australian Open.
The former world No. 1 was then plagued by a knee injury before recovering and stunning arguably the greatest player of all-time, Roger Federer, at the Halle Open.
But the celebrations were short lived as Hewitt was felled again, injuring his hand in Australia's Davis Cup clash with Belgium in September.
A defiant Hewitt said he had taken confidence from his win over Federer and was targeted strong performances in the grand slams for the upcoming year.
"It gave me huge confidence beating Roger, he's one of the benchmarks out there - he and Rafa (Rafael Nadal)," Hewitt said.
"They're the two best players, have been for quite a while now, and you've got to keep up with those guys and the pleasing thing for me was that Roger on grass is a really tough player to beat at any time of year - especially in Halle, where I'm not sure he's ever lost there before," he said.
"To beat a guy like Roger in the final of a tournament after I'd lost so many matches to him, that gave me a lot of confidence.
"It doesn't matter how small the tournament is, when a great player gets in the final of a tournament, they want to win it.
"(My focus) is always grand slams, the ranking will take care of itself.
"If I can go out there and play a full calendar year, play the majority of the tournaments I want to play and do well, to the best of my ability, then my ranking will be up there anyway.
"The focus for me is always making a schedule that best prepares me for the four majors and I think at the moment I've done that."
Hewitt's campaign will receive a boost this year with the input of long-time mentor Tony Roche and the Hopman Cup will launch the competitive reunion of the grinder and the coaching maestro after the pair made a mutual decision to end their 2007-2009 partnership.
Hewitt said he was confident having Roche in his corner would lead to a strong year.
"We have a great respect for each other and that's one of the most important things," he said.
"I respect everything Rochie has to say, both on and off the court, and we get along extremely well.
"Every time we go on court, there's a purpose. I don't think we spend one minute on the practice court going through the motions.
"He's certainly a tough taskmaster but I think he can bring out the best in my game.
"It's not like it's going to come together overnight and practice is always different from going out there and doing it under pressure in matches, but I feel like he's the right person to have in my corner."
Hewitt happy with his tough fitness regime
Lleyton Hewit has pulled up fit and pleased with what he calls an uninterrupted spell of training after last getting onto a court in September and suffering an elbow injury in Davis Cup.
But the 29-year-old is not giving anyway secrets as he prepared to lead Australia and the Hopman Cup mixed team event.
"I'm not going to let everyone know what I've been doing. There are a few different things that I've been doing out there," said the one-time No. 1. "I've mixed it up a lot. Obviously I still do a lot of the sand hills and a lot of stair work, agility stuff and sprints.
"It's been a whole range of different stuff; a lot of AFL (football) drills this year as well. I feel like I've be able to mix it up really well and in the last week and a half, taper off and do quick reaction stuff. But believe me, the first five or six weeks were bloody tough."
Hewitt and Alicia Molik will be trying to lift the first home title for Australia since the hosts took their only honour in 1999. Two-time Grand Slam champion Hewitt is hoping to be free of all niggles after his two hip surgeries over past seasons.
"It's been good. I've had no interruptions this year. I've been at least six days a week, sometimes seven days a week, going as hard as I can. Personally I don't feel there is anyone out there who has trained as hard as I have in the last two months. I feel for where body is at the moment for a 29 year old, I feel pretty good."
Lleyton Hewitt finding touch as fitness builds ahead of Australian Open
LLEYTON Hewitt has declared his Australian Open preparations on track despite a straight sets Hopman Cup hammering from Novak Djokovic.
Hewitt is cramming match fitness in Perth, the 6-2 6-4 loss to the world No.3 just his second singles match since returning from a serious hand injury.
The world No.54 displayed his trademark fighting qualities but was ultimately outclassed on Tuesday night as Serbia took the tie 3-0, ending any chance of Australia reaching the Hopman Cup final.
But the 29-year-old Australian said he was pleased with his individual progress ahead of a final group match against Kazakhstan tomorrow.
"It was probably exactly what I needed,'' Hewitt said of his clash with Djokovic.
"Second match up to play a quality player, he played as well as he could.
"My ball striking was right where I want it be at the moment, still a week-and-a-half out from the Aussie (Open).
"I was pretty happy with my movement.
"I haven't played three sets in any of my singles matches but so far the body's holding up pretty well.
"There were a couple of break opportunities, I could have been up a break in both sets.
"It was a big step up. I hit the ball a lot better than I did in my first match.
"He's just come off playing the tour finals in London against the best guys in the world and he played in the Davis Cup final as well, so he's match tough at the moment and playing those big points extremely well.''
Hewitt said Thursday's clash with world No.36 Andrey Golubev would be another important step in his preparation for the Australian Open.
"He's a great shot-maker. He's not going to be easy, he's going to go out there with an attitude of nothing to lose and be slapping balls around everywhere,'' Hewitt said.
Hewitt says he's ready for strong Aussie run
Lleyton Hewitt says despite not playing an ATP warm-up tournament before the Australian Open for the first time that he’s well prepared for a strong run. The former did play the Hopman Cup exhibition last week and will play an exhibition at Kooyong this week.
"I feel like I've done the hard yards," said 2005 Australian Open finalist. "There's no stone that's unturned for me, and I can go out there and know that I've had the best preparation possible for myself and my body. Obviously I won't be seeded next week, so [it's] a little bit in the hands of the gods where you get put in the draw, but I feel capable that I can go out there and cause some upsets."
Lleyton Hewitt's call on when to retire
KOOYONG'S old green grandstands were sparsely populated by the time Lleyton Hewitt celebrated his debut appearance at the AAMI Classic by defeating Russia's Mikhail Youzhny late.
But those who sat through a lengthy rain break and three sets of sometimes rusty, occasionally classy tennis spread over more than four hours were obviously pleased to see him, willing him to win with a mix of polite applause and a few wild whoops.
They were so clearly in his corner that Youzhny smilingly requested, through the chair umpire, that they share the support around a bit. At least he got a laugh.
Hewitt thanked the fans with a wave of the racquet as they cheered him off the court after triumphing 7-5 4-6 6-4 against an opponent ranked 44 places higher - and some wet, sweaty and windy weather.
He enjoyed himself and while little ought to be read into a glorified practice session, any win is a good win with the big dance only days away.
Despite his battles with injury and a steadily degenerating ranking, Hewitt looks to be in a relatively serene place these days.
The older he gets, the more the fans like him, it seems.
Now it's a matter of getting a glimpse of his genius while you still can because he seldom hangs around long at the Open any more and there is no knowing how long he'll be around at all.
If that has a familiar recent ring, it's because Hewitt has much in common these days with Ricky Ponting, another genius who is running out of time but is not necessarily willing to admit it or surrender meekly.
There is a bit of it about, actually.
A couple of other much-admired veterans for whom the finish line is definitely in sight failed to complete their assignments last weekend in a manner suggesting they might be pushing the envelope to its limit.
Soccer's Kevin Muscat, 37, was sent off after being booked twice as Melbourne Victory was thrashed 4-1 by Adelaide on Sunday, which smacks of frustration.
The same day, cyclist Robbie McEwen, 38, didn't finish the national road race championship after admitting beforehand that the course would be too tough - even though he won on it when he was younger.
Muscat will surely retire at the end of this campaign while McEwen wants to finish in front of Australian fans this time next year.
He's earned the right - and he's not risking anyone's reputation except his own, and his own is just about bullet-proof after all he's achieved.
The same is true of Hewitt. He is fully entitled to draw the curtain at a time of his own choosing, and he has made it abundantly clear that time has not arrived yet.
He is not as old as Ponting, 36, Muscat or McEwen, but turns 30 in February and an important - and often daunting - psychological milestone for any sportsman.
He has been playing elite tennis for more than half his lifetime, so it is no surprise that his body is now protesting regularly.
The fans keep applauding, as they did yesterday, because if Hewitt wasn't there the cupboard would be even barer without him than the cricket cupboard would be without Ponting.
And that's a depressing thought.
Wywiad przed AO
Q. Yesterday must have been a great thing for you, giving your confidence a good boost coming into the Aussie Open.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it was nice. I had a really good week at Kooyong. It was obviously a little bit interrupted with the rain delays and stuff around the place. But we got looked after extremely well.
Yeah, I felt really comfortable out there on the court, which is really good.
Q. Preparation wise, does it set in you better stead than previous years?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know. I can only speak to this year. I feel like everything's gone to plan so far. Yeah, as I keep saying, you know, the last few days, I've done everything possible that I could have done so far. So it's a matter of just going out there and executing and hopefully playing well on Tuesday.
Q. You don't have any injury niggles at the moment?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No. Feeling good at the moment.
Q. What about David Nalbandian in the first round, how do you feel about playing him?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, as I said the other day leading up, it's going to be a tough match. It's going to be a tough first round. I'm looking forward to it. You're going to have to play well and I expect him to be hitting the ball pretty well after last week, as well.
Q. Is there any sort of a positive to playing a player like that that you know so well and you played before?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's obviously a tough draw. Normally you don't mind, yeah, easing into the tournament a little bit. But we're both going to have to be up for the match straightaway. If you're not, you're going to be out in the first round.
Yeah, there's plenty to play for.
Q. This afternoon's Rally for Relief, that doesn't alter your preparations at all ahead of Tuesday when you play your first match?
LLEYTON HEWITT: No, not at all. Yeah, it's going to be a bit of fun. Pat and I are sort of running the show out there a little bit. It's going to be different, but it's going to be a lot of fun.
Yeah, it's all for a great cause. Pat and I, what we've given for Australia in Davis Cup, we love doing things for our great country. This afternoon's no different.
Q. Have you been surprised, not just the Australian players like yourself and Sam, but so many of the top internationals have gotten behind, playing on yours and Pat's team this afternoon?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not really surprised, but it's a great thing. Guys like Roger and Rafa do so much, not just for tennis, but are great ambassadors for our sport. They're great guys off the court as well with what they do with the busy schedules they have.
I'm not surprised what these guys have offered. It's fantastic. It can really help the day as well, which is great.
Q. What do you expect about the role of people in the match against Nalbandian?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's going to be no different to me playing anyone else in Australia. I always have a lot of great support here in Australia. Every time I play here at Melbourne Park, the support that I get is fantastic. It's not going to be any different playing David, if I get through, than playing my second round opponent.
Q. As this stage of your career, do you come into this tournament, which you completely love, thinking it could be your last and really treating it as if it could be?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not really 'cause right at the moment I don't think it's going to be the last. It's not something that I dwell on too much at all when I go out there.
Yeah, I enjoy walking through the corridors here at Melbourne Park, get excited every time I come here to not only play but also practice.
Yeah, as I said, the motivation is still there and the body is feeling as good as it has for a few years right at the moment, which is good.
Q. There's people writing that your best years are behind you. How do you feel? Do you feel you can still have your best performances in your future?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. Well, obviously it's hard to clip what I did in 2001, 2002, winning slams and Davis Cups, being ranked world No. 1. But, yeah, priorities and I guess goals change a little bit after you've been able to do that. A lot's sort of changed with how your body is as well. That's why my main priority is obviously with Davis Cup. We don't play a Davis Cup tie till later on in the year. But apart from that, the Grand Slams are my main priority.
Yeah, the ranking will take care of itself, as I've always said. My priority now is the four majors and preparing and trying to do as well as I can in those.
Q. What do you think you can achieve in the Grand Slams?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Oh, have to wait and see. All I can do is go out there. As I said coming into this tournament, when you're unseeded, it's always a little bit hard with draws and whatever. But I still feel like I can go out there and give most guys a pretty good run.
Hewitt In Good Form Ahead Of 15th Australian Open Campaign
Lleyton Hewitt is congratulated
by his two eldest children, Mia
and Cruz, after winning the
Kooyong title.
Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt completed his Australian Open preparations on Saturday by defeating Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3 to win the AAMI Classic, an exhibition tournament in Kooyong. Earlier in the week, the Australian had defeated World No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny and No. 23 Nikolay Davydenko.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Hewitt has seen his South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking slip to World No. 54 following an injury-ridden 2010, and as such finds himself unseeded in his 15th main draw appearance at Melbourne Park. In a blockbuster first-round clash he meets this week’s Auckland runner-up David Nalbandian, against whom he has a 3-2 career record, including victories in the 2002 Wimbledon final and 2005 Australian Open quarter-finals.
“I felt pretty comfortable this week and only time will tell over the next couple of weeks if it was the perfect preparation,” said Hewitt, who reached the Australian Open final in 2005 (l. to Safin). “But at the moment I'm extremely excited about winning three tough matches.”
''I've done everything possible and feel like my game is where I wanted it to be 10 weeks ago and physically I feel good. Ten weeks ago when I sat down with Rochey [coach Tony Roche] and talked about what we wanted to work on and get out of that training block, I think we've been able to do that, so we've done the best preparation possible.”
The 29-year-old Hewitt, who recovered from hip surgery at the beginning of 2010 only to see his season curtailed in September after suffering a hand injury on Davis Cup duty, added, “It gets tough when you've got to go out there and grind and do the running when you are a bit sore, whereas at the moment the body is holding up really well and I've been able to manage everything.”
Cash blames media for poor Hewitt reputation
One-time Aussie bad-boy player of two decades ago, Pat Cash, has blamed the media for a constant criticism which has trailed Lleyton Hewitt throughout his career.
The 29-year-old former No. 1 Hewitt exited the Australian Open in the first round at the hands of David Nalbandian.
But Cash, who won the Wimbledon in 1987, said that the difficult Hewitt reputation is in fact a product of the Aussie media. “Unfortunately, for many years the Australian media really gave it to tennis players - including me. I was probably the start of it all," said the 45-year-old, now a commentator and coach.
"It got so bad that the players - myself, Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippousis - rarely spoke to any Australian media," he told the Foxsports website. “Some kind of truce was worked out among Tennis Australia and the media, and I think Pat Rafter, being the all-round nice guy, helped settle that.
“But the mistrust in the media runs deep with those players I mentioned. We're different personalities. Some people will like us, some people won't. That will get people talking. The bottom line is that it's all about selling newspapers. In Australia we have too much media and too few stories.”
Cash also said that the Aussie tradition of criticising successful sportsmen and others in society - the so-called tall-poppy syndrome - came directly from Britain on the convict ships of two centuries ago. “The tall poppy syndrome is a nice trait we got from the English. They do exactly the same thing. Pure and simple, it's jealousy.”
Hewitt lays groundwork for post-tennis career with TV trial
Lleyton Hewitt may have begun shedding his longtime bad boy tag among Australian fans with his solid match commentary performance at the just-concluded Open.
The hard-headed competitor who lost in the first round turned into a thoughtful analyst during his several on-air appearances in the commentary box for the Seven network.
By laying the groundwork for a possible new sideline once his tennis days are done, the two-time Grand Slam champion who turns 30 this month may have begun rehabilitating himself with the local public. Australian media were shocked: Lleyton had become likeable.
"People are never really given a chance to have that line of communication and an insight into Lleyton's personality," co-commentator and fellow former player Jim Courier told Melboune's Herald Sun. "It's the same thing with John McEnroe - who was obviously a rascal on the tennis court and unknowable in many ways from that part of his life - but people see a different side of him in the TV booth. And Lleyton has that same ability.
"It was a very healthy thing for him to do. A very smart thing to do and people will appreciate him in a different way because of it."
But while a future in the broadcast box could await, Hewitt remains fixed on his tennis, set for hardcourt events in the US this month in hopes of lifting his 68th ranking, starting with the indoor event in San Jose, California.
Lleyton koñczy dzi¶ 30 lat !. Wszystkiego najlepszego mistrzu ! :) Zdrowia przede wszystkim. :)
100 lat i powiêkszenia rodziny! ;)
100 lat Rusty.!Samych sukcesów.!
Co najmniej 1/2 w WS przed zakoñczeniem kariery. ;-)
Hewitt has foot surgery, pulls out of Miami
Lleyton Hewitt has pulled out of Miami after undergoing foot surgery.
The Australian still anticipates being able to play the French Open and Wimbledon, according to his website. "My foot has been troubling me for some time
and I needed the surgery to enable me to compete at my best with the two Grand Slams coming up soon," he said.
Chyba czas najwy¿szy podziêkowaæ za grê, bo skoñczy gorzej ni¿ Lendl.
Hewitt mo¿e wróciæ dopiero na Roland Garros
Dopiero we wtorek na oficjalnej stronie internetowej Lleytona Hewitta pojawi³o siê wyja¶nienie dlaczego ex lider rankingu ATP nie gra w tenisa. W ubieg³ym tygodniu Australijczyk przeszed³ operacjê stopy.
- Stopa sprawia³a mi problemy ju¿ od jakiego¶ czasu - mówi komunikat - i potrzebowa³em zabiegu, by móc rywalizowaæ na swoim najwy¿szym poziomie w dwóch nadchodz±cych turniejach wielkoszlemowych.
Te turnieje to miêdzynarodowe mistrzostwa Francji w Pary¿u (17 maja - 5 czerwca) i Wimbledon (20 czerwca - 3 lipca), który Hewitt wygra³ w 2002 roku. Jest szansa, ¿e notowany dzi¶ na 64. miejscu na li¶cie ¶wiatowej zawodnik wróci do gry dopiero w maju.
Tough Hewitt's bold French Open tilt
Master coach Tony Roche has hailed Lleyton Hewitt the toughest competitor he's ever encountered as Australia's tennis warrior targets a shock comeback at this month's French Open.
Roche and Hewitt will fly to Europe on Thursday, with the former world No.1 boldly planning to contest the claycourt grand slam beginning on Sunday week despite having not played for more than two months.
The 30-year-old underwent foot surgery in March but Hewitt is once again prepared to play through the pain barrier.
"I think he's used to that. Look, he'd be the toughest competitor that I've seen," Roche told AAP on Monday.
"He's had a lot of setbacks the last couple of years but he keeps bouncing back.
"He keeps wanting to improve and he's so keen, which is great for Australian tennis because we need him to hang in there."
Roche's opinion comes highly qualified - the 1963 French Open champion has guided all-time greats Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Pat Rafter to more than a dozen grand slam titles.
And indeed Hewitt's powers of recovery are nothing short of amazing.
Time and again, the two-time major winner has gone under the knife only to return and contend almost immediately at the slams.
Last year, Hewitt was sidelined for almost four months following a second round of hip surgery and a knee operation before upstaging the mighty Federer on grass in the Halle final and then almost beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
He reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 US Open despite carrying a knee injury that threatened his very participation.
His finest effort playing under duress in Paris came in 2008 when he lobbed at Roland Garros without having contested a single match on the surface and pushed fifth-seeded claycourt specialist David Ferrer to five sets in the third round.
Despite all the setbacks, Hewitt is the only active player - Federer and the king of clay Rafael Nadal included - to have made the last 32 on 10 straight visits to Paris.
It has taken Nadal to end four of Hewitt's past five French campaigns and Roche isn't ruling out another strong run from his tenacious charge.
"It's his first tournament back from his operation. It's a big ask but he could do it if he got the right draw," he said.
"Unfortunately, he's not going to be seeded so you've got to rely on a good passage through that first week and not running into, say, the top three or four guys.
"But Lleyton is still as keen as ever. He feels in the grand slams, given the right opportunity, that he can still be competitive with the top guys."
Roche said ideally the two-time French quarter-finalist would win a couple of rounds in Paris to gain some valuable match practice before the grasscourt season.
"I know he's looking forward to Wimbledon, getting on the grass," Roche said.
"He sees that surface as being well suited to his game.
"Two years ago, he lost to (Andy) Roddick in five sets (in the quarter-finals) and actually had a break in the fifth and Roddick came up with an unbelievable shot and Roddick nearly beat Federer in the final.
"So he's not too far away. One point there and he could have been in the final.
"So if he gets the matches under his belt and good preparation, he can do very, very well at Wimbledon."
Hewitt to Play French Open
Australia’s former world number one Lleyton Hewitt will play through the pain at this month’s French Open as he returns to tennis after surgery, his coach Tony Roche said on Monday.
Hewitt, 30, is planning to contest the claycourt grand slam at Roland Garros which starts on May 17 despite not playing for more than two months.
The two-time grand slam champion underwent foot surgery in March but the 66th-ranked Hewitt is once again prepared to play through the pain barrier.
“I think he’s used to that. Look, he’d be the toughest competitor that I’ve seen,” Roche told reporters.
“He’s had a lot of setbacks over the last couple of years but he keeps bouncing back.
“He keeps wanting to improve and he’s so keen, which is great for Australian tennis because we need him to hang in there.”
Last year, Hewitt was sidelined for almost four months following a second round of hip surgery and a knee operation before upstaging Roger Federer on grass in the Halle final and then almost beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
He reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 US Open despite a knee injury that threatened his participation.
“It’s his first tournament back from his operation. It’s a big ask, but he could do it if he got the right draw,” Hewitt said.
“Unfortunately, he’s not going to be seeded so you’ve got to rely on a good passage through that first week and not running into the top three or four guys.
“But Lleyton is still as keen as ever. He feels in the grand slams, given the right opportunity, that he can still be competitive with the top guys.”
Former No. 1 Hewitt pulls out of Roland Garros
Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt has pulled out of his first-round match at Roland Garros against Albert Montanes and will be replaced by France's Marc Gicquel. There is no official reason for the withdrawal yet, but Hewitt underwent foot surgery in March and was attempting to play his fist event since then.
Hewitt hoping to make solid return on grass
Lleyton Hewitt will make what might be his last serious run at returning to tennis when the Australian steps onto grass next week to defend the Halle, Germany, title he won in a shock a year ago over longtime holder Roger Federer.
The 30-year-old is said to have finally made a complete recovery from foot surgery this spring which forced him to delay his return to the game by pulling out of the French Open.
Between his foot operation and two hip surgeries, fitness has been a major problem for the two-time Grand Slam champion, who won Wimbledon nine years ago. the last time Hewitt stepped onto a court, he lost in the Indian Wells first round in March.
Hewitt is now hoping for a big push over the next month through Wimbledon on the physically most forgiving of tennis surfaces. Hewitt is also set to make a debut on the English south coast at the ATP-WTA event at Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon.
Wimbledon - Hewitt injury fuels Wimbledon doubt
Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt could miss this year's tournament after withdrawing from his first round match at Eastbourne.
Hewitt was 6-2 3-0 down to Olivier Rochus when he shook his opponent's hand and walked off the court.
Hewitt revealed after the match that he was suffering from a foot injury.
"It was touch and go whether I'd be able to play here anyway," he admitted.
"I slipped over last week at the end of the first set against (Philipp) Kohlschreiber and stirred up the foot that I had surgery on.
"Since then I've just been trying to get treatment. I've been talking with the doctors here.
"It just hasn't quite improved as much as I would have liked by today, but I wanted to come out and try anyway. I obviously have to focus on Wimbledon now next week."
Elsewhere in the tournament, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his strong form on grass by winning in the first round.
Just a day after pushing Andy Murray to three sets in the delayed final at Queen's, Tsonga took 90 minutes to defeat Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-2 7-5.
The Frenchman is the top seed in the tournament and will next face Radek Stepanek in the second round.
Young British wild card Daniel Cox went out though as he lost 6-1 7-5 to Donald Young in only his second career ATP match.
Cox lost his debut match on the men's senior tour to fellow Brit James Ward last week at Queen's.
Ward's first round match with Janko Tipsarevic was tied at one-set all when bad light stopped play.
Hewitt foot injury flares with Wimbledon start in crisis
Lleyton Hewitt needs a huge recovery effort from his problem right foot if he's to make a serious start at Wimbledon next week.
The one-time No. 1 was forced to quit his opening match at the final pre-Grand Slam tuneup at Eastbourne.
During a change of ends, the 30-year-old walked over to Belgian opponent Olivier Rochus, shook hands, smiled and walked off court with his bag in front of a stunned crowd. "It's frustrating when you know you've done all the right things. This is one of my favourite times of the year playing these grass court tournaments," said Hewitt.
"So to not be 100 percent and going out there still trying to compete isn't that easy mentally, either. I'm actually quite happy with my ball-striking at the moment, which is frustrating because my movement is such a big part of my game."
Two-time Grand Slam winner Hewitt underwent surgery on his foot in the spring but is far from pain-free several months after the procedure. His ranking has dropped to outside the Top 100, the result of losing in the Halle quarter-finals last week, where he re-damaged the foot.
Hewitt tried to play at Eastbourne with pain-killers. "It was touch and go whether I'd be able to play here anyway. I slipped over last week at the end of the first set against Kohlschreiber (Halle quarter-finals) and stirred up the foot that I had surgery on.
"Since then I've just been trying to get treatment. I've been talking with the doctors here.
"It just hasn't quite improved as much as I would have liked by today, but I wanted to come out and try anyway. I obviously have to focus on Wimbledon now next week."
Wywiad z Lleytonem po meczu z Rochusem:
Lleyton Hewitt
EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND
O. ROCHUS/L. Hewitt
6-2, 3-0, Ret.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. How are you feeling?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I could be better. No, it was touch and go whether I'd be able to play here anyway. I slipped over last week at the end of the first set against Kohlschreiber and stirred up the foot that I had surgery on a little bit.
So since then I've just been trying to, you know, get treatment and do all the right things. I've been talking with the doctors here. You know, it just hasn't quite improved as much as I would have liked by today, but I wanted to come out and try anyway.
You know, I obviously have to focus on Wimbledon now next week.
Q. Is it a case that regarding Wimbledon, you didn't want to make it worse today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yes and no. I'd want it to be a lot better than it is today to be able to play Wimbledon, yeah.
Q. Is there any chance you might not make it to Wimbledon, then, do you think?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I'm not sure. Yeah, I still feel like -- in another week I can, another five days or whatever, I feel like I can still get good treatment. You know, with the right people behind me and have a couple easier days, as well, hopefully I can, yeah, start getting a little bit better.
Q. You are having to kind of rebound from a lot of blows at the moment. How frustrating is it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's a little bit frustrating. Yeah, because I'm actually quite happy with my ball striking at the moment, which is frustrating because my movement is such a big part of my game, though.
Yeah, that's the most frustrating thing. Yeah, I guess more frustrating when you feel or you know you've done all the right things, as well, to try and put yourself in a position.
So, yeah, this is one of my favorite times of the year playing these grass court tournaments, as well. So to not be 100% and going out there still trying to compete isn't, you know, that easy mentally, either.
Q. Do you feel you just couldn't put much power through the foot today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I was in pain the whole time, so it wasn't a matter of putting power into it.
Q. What sort of pain? Stabbing pain or ache?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's more stabbing pain the whole time. It was -- you know, I felt like it was improving, yeah, pretty well up until last week. And then against Kohlschreiber, in the end of the first-set tiebreak, I slipped over and, you know, sort of jarred it again which wasn't probably the best thing for it.
Q. Would you consider painkillers for playing Wimbledon?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'll see what happens. I haven't even thought about it yet. I had quite a few today and it didn't work, so...
Q. As injections or tablets?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You don't need to know that. (Laughter.) Thanks.
Looks like Lleyton Hewitt is ready for Wimbledon. Just watched him practice with Berdych on Court 5.
Lleyton Hewitt determined to contest Wimbledon
Lleyton Hewitt is frustrated by a string of injuries but is vowing to play at Wimbledon.
TONY Roche says Lleyton Hewitt will attempt to play through the pain barrier at Wimbledon.
Hewitt returned to the practice court for an interrupted session with last season's finalist Tomas Berdych and showed no sign of his foot injury.
"Lleyton is a tough cookie," Roche said. "I don't think he's going to let that worry him.
"He went ok in Halle, just had a setback with a fall that he had there. Here, he's done everything right. He's had some good practice sessions."
Hewitt will face Japan's Kei Nishikori in the first round for the right to challenge Swede Robin Soderling.
"Lleyton's obviously fresh," Roche said. "But it's a tough match, the guy's obviously in the semis in Eastbourne so, obviously, he's playing well on grass.
"Lleyton is looking forward to it. He'll probably play on Tuesday, so we'll get tomorrow and Monday to practice so we don't have to rush and go indoors at this stage."
Hewitt is determined to contest Wimbledon despite growing concerns over his future.
Hewitt, 30, has made it clear he has no intentions of not showing up.
The South Australian has been locked in a race against time since retiring mid-match against Olivier Rochus at Eastbourne on Tuesday after aggravating a foot injury.
The former world No. 1 has had intensive treatment since and, although expert opinion is believed to caution against his competing, Hewitt is hellbent on playing.
He faces a stiff challenge against 59th-ranked Nishikori.
Coached by Brad Gilbert, Nishikori has never won a match at Wimbledon, but he is a well-drilled baseliner with enormous reserves of stamina.
Dogged by soreness since the start of the season, Hewitt underwent foot surgery in March.
He is understood to still be inconvenienced by long-term bone damage.
The 2002 Wimbledon champion aired his frustration after retiring against Rochus.
"Yeah, it's a little bit frustrating," he said. "Because I'm actually quite happy with my ball striking at the moment, which is frustrating because my movement is such a big part of my game, though.
"That's the most frustrating thing. I guess more frustrating when you feel or you know you've done all the right things, as well, to try and put yourself in a position.
"This is one of my favourite times of the year playing these grass court tournaments, as well.
"So to not be 100 percent and going out there still trying to compete isn't, you know, that easy mentally, either."
Lleyton Hewitt to push beyond pain barrier in Wimbledon first-round match
LLEYTON Hewitt has been heartened by his form and movement ahead of a difficult Wimbledon first-rounder - but has not ruled out taking painkillers for his foot before tackling Japan's Kei Nishikori.
The 2002 champion practised at Aorangi Park, the All England Club's practice annexe, before rain drove players indoors.
Hewitt again showed no sign of the chronic foot injury which has hampered him for about five years before worsening recently.
The South Australian is scheduled to play on Tuesday - weather permitting.
"It was good to get some (practice) in before the rain," he said after working out under the watchful eye of coach Tony Roche, physio Ivan Gutierrez and hitting partner Brett Smith.
"It's been hard the last few days for all the guys, I guess, to get on the courts as much as you would like and get on the grass instead of going indoors.
"It's good to get some balls in there today. Sunday, the day before, it's always hard to get courts by yourself and much time."
Asked if he would have to resort to taking more painkillers ahead of the Nishikori match, Hewitt said: I'll see."
"It (the foot) feels alright at the moment. The practice that I've had so far has been pretty good and encouraging. I've done absolutely everything again.
"Preparation, it all comes down to the that. You can be happy going out there knowing that you've done everything possible to be as close to 100 percent as you can."
Hewitt underwent surgery on his foot in March and attempted to resume at the French Open, but was a late withdrawal.
He then showed encouraging form before suffering a fall in the quarter-finals at Halle, where he was the defending champion, before losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber.
The former world champion retired from his first-round match against Belgian Olivier Rochus at Eastbourne last week, fanning doubts he would be forced out of Wimbledon.
"Eastbourne was always going to be hard, though, after I stirred it up against Kohlschreiber when I sort of slipped late in that first-set tiebreak," he wsaid.
"It was hard to bounce back a couple of days later. Hopefully it's bit better than there."
Asked his thoughts on the prospect of having a delayed Wednesday start because of bad weather, Hewitt said: "Tuesday will be fine."
He said there was never a chance he would not play .
"Not in my mind," he said. "I was always going to take the court. I'll be on the court on Tuesday."
Wimbledon 2011 - wywiad po zwyciêstwie w 1 rundzie
Q. How satisfying was that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Very satisfying, considering what I've been through. Yeah, mentally and physically what I've had to go through to try and even get on the court. He's a quality player. So, yeah, it's pleasing, very pleasing.
Q. Were you surprised how well you moved out there?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, it's always in the back of your mind. That's the hardest thing about a Grand Slam, playing a big tournament, is trying to get it out of your mind as much as possible and concentrate on what I've got to actually do out there on the court and what's actually going on around me within the match as well and focus on that a hundred percent. That was tough mentally to do out there today.
Q. Did you feel you were in less pain than last week?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah. No, it was good. Feel good.
Q. Can you elaborate more on the journey of the last week or so.
LLEYTON HEWITT: It's been rough, sort of been a day to day thing really. Kind of knowing the whole time that it's not just gonna magically disappear overnight. That's the hard thing, you know. You wake up, it's pretty sore. As I said, I've had to try and block it out as much as possible and still get on with practice and doing all the right things to prepare myself as well as possible. So, yeah, I think everyone knows if it wasn't Wimbledon, I wouldn't be out there. I'd be obviously looking after my body a bit more. You know, this is what I play for.
Q. It was proper test of your foot, too?
LLEYTON HEWITT: He's a quality player. He's won tour events, made the semis last week. Lost to a good grass court player in Tipsarevic. It was always going to be a tough match. I think grass is probably his second best surface I'd say behind hard courts. He moves extremely well out on the courts. He's got a world class backhand. His forehand is flashy. He's dangerous.
Q. What's the medical advice on what you should do with your foot if you weren't here playing?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Don't know. Right now, don't know. We haven't really thought about it because I was always going to play. Basically just I've told everyone we'll sit back and think about that after the tournament. But right now we're just doing everything we can to, you know, get as close to a hundred percent as possible.
Q. Painkillers today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: You don't need to know that.
Q. What will you do before your next match? A lot of physio as well as having a practice hitting?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I don't know. I'm playing doubles. I might be playing doubles tomorrow. I'm not sure. Yeah, I'll obviously be playing doubles with my good mate Looch. Hopefully gonna have a win in that. Be using that as a practice hit anyway if we are on tomorrow, my day off between singles matches.
Q. You won the Open 10 years ago. A few days later it's 9/11. Do you have recollections of that? Were you already flying home? How did that play out for you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, no, I've got strong memories, amazing memories. I think I was on one of the last flights out of New York the night before it happened the next morning. So we were flying obviously back to Sydney, L.A. to Sydney on the plane when it happened. I think the air hostess and everyone had been told what was going on, but no one else knew at the time. Yeah, when we landed in Sydney and got told what was happening, it was something out of a movie. Incredible.
Q. Could you take a minute and talk about the role of luck in our sport. There's draws, let cords, injuries, the situations you were born into. Talk about the role of luck in tennis and in your career.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, yeah. Luck plays a big part, but a lot of things you make your own luck, as well, by preparation and doing the right things. Obviously, during a match there's, you know, things that can happen, net cords, line calls. There's a lot of things that can go your way and go against you. You'd like to think that it evens out over time over 10 years, 12 years of playing. But, uhm, you know, I'm still a big believer if you do all the right things, maybe little bits of luck might fall your way.
Q. Can you recall a real lucky moment in your career and a not so lucky?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Not off the top of my head, no.
Q. Next up it looks like Robin Soderling. Tell us about how that's going to be as a challenge for you with your foot and everything.
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'll be right come Thursday. It's going to be another tough test. He's another step up from Nishikori. Especially on this surface, he's a dangerous player. He's a big striker off both sides, forehand and backhand, from the baseline, and got a big serve, big first serve, big flat one.
Q. A chance you'll get a decent court, is this the sort of match that keeps you going?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'll be up for it, that's for sure.
Q. You've beaten him before. What have you had to do on those occasions?
LLEYTON HEWITT: It was quite a while ago. He's improved since those times. We really only played once since he's last year in Cincinnati it was an extremely tight match in three sets. Yeah, I got to go out there and play my game, obviously try to dictate play as much as possible. Then again, I'm going to have to return and move extremely well to put him under some kind of pressure. He's the guy that wants to be playing on his terms and trying to dictate me around. So, yeah, it will be a good matchup.
Lleyton Hewitt still has tennis goals, won't bow to calls to retire, after Wimbledon defeat by Robin Soderling
He doesn't look, or act, like a guy about to retire.
And after his latest epic five-setter on Centre Court at Wimbledon, Lleyton Hewitt’s words backed up those sentiments.
He’s not going to retire. He wants more.
The double Wimbledon next year - not just The Championships, but also the Olympic tournament three weeks later - is a major goal.
Despite the hurt of this latest loss, you get the feeling he loves the sport, and the battle it presents, too much to walk away prematurely.
Some will argue that continual early round losses are tarnishing the record of his achievements earlier in his career.
But I reckon he’s earned the right to pull the pin whenever he wants; it’s his reputation - he can do with it what he pleases - and if he thinks he can still enhance it, all power to him.
Fun police claim Fox Sports victims
Fox Sports tennis commentators Wally Masur and Josh Eagle and I were able to get in to watch the final two sets of the Hewitt-Soderling match.
No-one told us clapping and cheering weren’t allowed in the crowd.
But we were told to zip it, quick smart, or we’d be out, after a complaint from someone (who remained anonymous) in the rows behind. And not by any old security guard. Here at The Championships, they use members of the armed forces as stewards.
Poor Josh couldn’t help himself when Hewitt ripped a winner, breaking into a gentle golf clap. Quick as a flash, a different guard was onto us. Last chance. Stop, pronto, or be done with.
We argued that we weren’t the only people in the stadium clapping. We pointed out one of the stewards, in his navy uniform, reacting with overwhelming exuberance. To no avail. Perhaps he was just a punter in Village People fancy dress.
So we sat like mummies for the final six games; the fun police had claimed three more victims.
Standing ovation for heroic Hewitt
LLEYTON Hewitt has been left with mixed feelings after suffering bitter-sweet Wimbledon defeat with a vintage performance that narrowly failed to produce a miracle win.
Outranked by 125 places and troubled by foot soreness, Hewitt gave one of his best grand slam performances before losing a marathon five-setter to world No.5 Robin Soderling.
Hewitt, the 2002 champion, was given a standing ovation as he walked off centre court in the aftermath of a 6-7 (5-7) 3-6 7-5 6-4 6-4 in three hours, 50 minutes.
Former world No.1 Hewitt lamented what might have been after unsuccessfully serving for a 3-1 buffer in the fifth set.
"There's a few points here and there, yeah, if you could just take those half chances (it might have been different)," he said.
"The obvious is trying to consolidate that break early in the fifth set.
"I was 15 love up, missed the forehand. He sort of half shanked it a drop short. I just missed a regulation forehand.
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``But then the next couple points he smoked a couple of big winners. He's that kind of player.
"You give him a swing at it, and he's going to take it every time.
"I think start of the fourth set, I had 0-40 in his first service game. But he served incredible today. He hit a lot of big serves and especially when he needed to."
Soderling and Hewitt both won 160 points in a classic encounter, but the Swede's serve was the difference. Soderling barrelled off 28 and lost only 19 of 101 first serves for the match.
The dual French Open finalist Soderling was relieved to have escaped as 130th-ranked Hewitt returned to his best form despite bone damage in his foot.
"I think it was the first time in my career to come back from two sets to love down, especially against a player like Hewitt," Soderling said.
"We have had many matches in the past, me and Lleyton, and this was the best one that we ever played.
"It's great to see him back ... I hope he's gonna be around for a while."
Wimbledon 2011 - wywiad po pora¿ce w 2 rundzie
L. Hewitt def. by R. Soderling 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 4-6
Q. You played a tremendous match, a tough one. How many times did you think you wouldn't make it to Wimbledon with all your injuries?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Believe it or not, it didn't enter my mind purely because I thought I was gonna play no matter what. So the whole time I was optimistic about the French Open, but deep down it was always going to be a tough call whether I was going to be able to play the French.
Where I'm at in my career at the moment, this is what I play for, the Grand Slams. Even though the French Open, you know, it's not my favorite Grand Slam, it's not my best surface, I still want to compete there and have a crack at it as well.
I gave every chance to do that and I was probably a couple weeks too early for there. But, yeah, for here, as I said, my preparation, everything I've done, you know, that's the most pleasing thing, I think. I've done absolutely everything I could have.
Q. Fitness wise are you in a position where you're going to have to take a couple of weeks?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't have any idea at the moment. Right now it's the furthest thing from my mind.
Everyone, whether I've spoken to my surgeon, my physios, my doctors, whoever, we've all just been focusing on trying to get through here in sort of one piece and we'll pick up all the pieces after that and put it together.
Q. How much confidence will you get out of this when you reflect on it?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it's hard at the moment. But in the end, I feel like I hit the ball pretty well. I hit it a lot better than I did a couple days ago, and I needed to against a guy like Soderling.
Yeah, it's just one of those days. You know, the roof closed I think helped his game, as well. So, you know, it's little things like that you've got to try to put behind you as much as possible.
I felt my ball striking was pretty good out there. My movement was, for the amount of matches I've had, pretty good.
Q. You won your Championship on Centre Court. Is there something special that goes through you playing out there?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's probably the best court to play tennis on. It's a fantastic atmosphere. The walk onto the court, you know, you get goosebumps doing it every time.
It's a pleasure to play out there. It's obviously slightly different today playing with the roof for the first time for me.
But, yeah, it's an amazing court. When you have great memories walking, you know, back out there as well, it's fantastic to play out there any time.
Q. Was there a moment in the match, maybe an aspect of your game, that let you down that made the difference today?
LLEYTON HEWITT: There's a few points here and there, yeah, if you could just take those half chances. The obvious is trying to consolidate that break early in the fifth set.
I was 15 Love up, missed the forehand. He sort of half shanked it a drop short. I just missed a regulation forehand. But then the next couple points he smoked a couple of big winners. He's that kind of player. You give him a swing at it, and he's going to take it every time.
I think start of the fourth set, I had Love 40 in his first service game. But he served incredible today. He hit a lot of big serves and especially when he needed to.
Q. Do you almost feel you let him off the hook, two sets to love up, playing quite well in the beginning of that fifth set? Do you feel it's almost the one that got away from you?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Well, I hardly broke his serve for the rest of the match, though. I didn't have that many chances to be in a commanding position. I think he picked up his game after the second set. He definitely served a lot better.
Very rarely, apart from early in the fifth set, I didn't have too many chances to get into many of his service games.
Q. Where to from now?
LLEYTON HEWITT: The doubles court probably.
Q. Does it surprise you how well you were moving, given what happened at Eastbourne?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, it did a little bit. Yeah, I don't know, I guess adrenaline kicks in a little bit, as well. Yeah, I'm used to playing with pain with the hip before the hip surgery, stuff like that.
Yeah, you just try to block it out as much as possible. At least today I felt mentally I was able to concentrate on the match a lot more than my first match. It was going through my mind probably a lot more in that match. You go sort of ebbs and flows concentrating on what you need to do out there. Whereas today I felt like I could pretty much give 100% mentally, which is good.
Q. If the medical advice is you don't need any medical treatment immediately, what kind of schedule do you think you'll have?
LLEYTON HEWITT: The first thing is Davis Cup, obviously, the week following Wimbledon. So that's in China. It's a pretty rough schedule to go to Asia and obviously back to the States after that for the hard court tournaments.
So at this stage, I'll be playing at least four tournaments leading into the US Open, as long as, you know, the foot's all clear to keep going and I'm not going to make things any worse.
Obviously the US Open's the next major you want to be playing well. If I can get through this next Davis Cup tie, we have a bigger Davis Cup tie straight after the US Open. I think everyone's thinking at the moment is, I think they'd want me to be right for that one more so than this one coming up. At this stage I'm still planning to play in China.
Q. How big a deal are the Olympics for you, next year's tournament here?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think it's more exciting for me being played here on grass. You know, something different is special I think more than anything.
I still think tennis, in terms of we have so many big events during the year, so we're slightly different to a lot of the other sports in the Olympics. We're sort of on a par with golf, I guess. But, yeah, anytime to play for your country, it's a great honor.
Q. Obviously you're one of the fan favorites here at Wimbledon. You have the very vocal Australian supporters behind you. Can you sort of explain how that helps you on the court? Do you hear them? Does that spur you on to better tennis?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I think so. Playing in a stadium like that, having a packed house out there, it's always adrenaline, whether there's Australian people in the crowd or not.
But it was a great atmosphere out there. The Australian Fanatic supporters, they've been to enough tennis matches now, they know how to behave out there, as well. But they're singing the national anthem during the warmup, and then they get a standing ovation for that. It's good fun out there.
Yeah, it does produce a good atmosphere.
Q. Most observers would view your career with the medals you've got in the cabinet already and be amazed you have the motivation to still go on. Where does that motivation come from?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I'm not a hundred percent sure. Yeah, I love competing. I love competing in these events. You know, you're retired for a long time once you're retired. I hear that from a lot of great athletes.
For me, as long as my body's close to a hundred percent, you know, I want to go out there and compete. I still feel like I can obviously give these top guys as much trouble as anyone out there.
So, you know, I don't know a hundred percent why I'm still motivated. I don't know. But as long as I'm prepared to do the hard work and go through all the pain and mentally up and down after surgeries and still get in the gym and do all the hard slog, then you know something's right, I guess, in going out there and you still want to compete.
Q. Patrick Rafter mentioned a few years after he retired, he felt a little bit well, have you chatted with him about that?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I haven't spoken to anyone. It's not something that has even entered my mind. Obviously once I made a decision to have the foot surgery and whatever, I've been playing with this problem for at least four, maybe five years, done absolutely everything to get through.
Injections weren't working anymore, so it got to the stage where I had to do something. I wouldn't have gone through all the pain of the rehab if I was going to stop straightaway.
Q. The shot that you played to break in the second set for 5 3, where does that stand in the best shots you've played?
LLEYTON HEWITT: I don't know because I didn't actually see it. Actually when I hit it, I thought it was going to the bottom of the net. I must have been that off balance that I had no idea of the direction, if I made a good contact or whatever.
It was only that the crowd started cheering. I didn't think that would have been for him, for it either hitting the net or him hitting a volley winner on top of the net. I didn't know it was a winner or in until the umpire called the score.
Q. Your ranking is obviously going to take a knock after this. Are you up for qualifying, the hard sort of grind of trying to get back into the main draws?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Probably not, no. But my ranking, for me, it's not an issue. I'll get wild cards into a certain amount of tournaments that I'll want to play anyway.
As I've always said, your ranking takes care of itself. Once you're actually in the tournament, if I can play at that level consistently, then my ranking's the furthest thing from my mind.
Q. You're regarded as someone with a very disciplined game. Do you see the same qualities in how Novak has been playing this year?
LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, absolutely. He's playing the percentages extremely well. He's playing extremely solid from the back of the court.
But, you know, obviously his two biggest strengths are his serve and his forehand this year that he's really tightened up and turned them into not just good shots; now they're great shots. You know, the way he covers the court obviously helps him with that.
Confident Hewitt all but ignores ranking drop
Lleyton Hewitt will start facing tennis life from next week with a ranking of around 180, but the former No. 1 and 2002 Wimbledon winner doesn't expect that fact to make a huge change in his playing patterns.
That might or might not be the case, depending on the remaining star-power of the Australian who exited Wimbledon with a fighting five-set loss to Robin Soderling and now faces life in the lower echelon of the ATP.
Hewitt, 30, who has had two hip surgeries, was not 100 percent from a foot operation which he underwent in the spring. But the Aussie believes that he will still be able to get wild card entries into tournaments and is so far planning a full schedule of small American hardcourt evens from next month.
"Ranking, for me, it's not an issue," he blustered. "I'll get wild cards into a certain amount of tournaments that I'll want to play anyway. Your ranking takes care of itself, my ranking's the furthest thing from my mind."
The Bahamas-based Hewitt is still apparently deciding if he will play an Australian Davis Cup Asian zonal tie in China in July. "It's a pretty rough schedule to go to Asia and obviously back to the States after that for the hard court tournaments.
"I'll be playing at least four tournaments leading into the US Open, as long as the foot's all clear to keep going and I'm not going to make things any worse. Obviously the US Open's the next major you want to be playing well."
