Stolts hints at Hewitt hitch
June 25, 2003

LLEYTON Hewitt's former coach Jason Stoltenberg has hinted for the first time that there was more to his split from the world No.1 than previously revealed.

Stoltenberg watched in disbelief early yesterday as the player he took to the Wimbledon crown last year became only the second champion in history to be knocked out in round one 12 months later.

After spending 18 months on top of the world rankings, Hewitt has now plummeted to No.4 - and there are fears he could fall further as questions about his desire and off-court dramas intensify following the biggest upset in Wimbledon history.

After parting with Stoltenberg in cloudy circumstances last month and in the middle of a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the ATP, Hewitt was stunned on Centre Court by Croatian qualifier Ivo Karlovic, ranked 203 and in his first grand slam match, 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4.

Stoltenberg announced he was quitting as Hewitt's coach just three weeks out from Wimbledon, saying he wanted to spend more time with his young family.

While cautious not to say anything that would inflame his relationship with Hewitt, who remains his friend, Stoltenberg clearly indicated yesterday the pair had issues which had pulled them apart.

"Obviously when people split, there are reasons for splitting," Stoltenberg said. "There is probably more to the story than what has come out but I'm going to leave it at that."

Hewitt was adamant yesterday his Wimbledon disaster was unrelated to Stoltenberg's resignation or his brawl with officialdom.

Stoltenberg was at pains to point out yesterday that he remained on good terms with Hewitt and that he didn't want to cause his friend or parents Glynn and Cherilyn Hewitt any further distress.

But he admitted the timing of the split could have been better and was brought about by factors he did not wish to elaborate on.

"I don't want to do the wrong thing by Lleyton," Stoltenberg said. "That would be in poor taste.

"There is nothing incredibly interesting behind the split. I think Lleyton is comfortable moving on alone and I'm comfortable moving on - so there is no big issue."

Former Wimbledon champion Ashley Cooper served from left-field yesterday, saying Hewitt should loosen ties with his parents and "become his own man".

"The fact that his mother and father travel with him constantly and are even present when he practices, I think there's a build-up of tension there.

"Quite frankly, I would like to see him loosen the family strings a bit and become his own man."

Hewitt's childhood tennis coach Peter Smith wasn't too alarmed by the loss, saying his former protege played well but Karlovic was just too good on the day.

"I hope we don't reach that stage in Australia where if Lleyton has a minor hiccup, which just proves he's human, that we start looking for all sorts of reasons for why that is, when I think he just played a guy who was too good on the day."

Australia's former Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald said Hewitt was simply experiencing the same lull that most elite sportsmen go through after staying at the top for so long.

"I think he still has the hunger. It's not easy to remain at the top," Fitzgerald said.

The Daily Telegraph

Time to 'cut family ties'
June 24, 2003

LLEYTON HEWITT should loosen ties with his parents and "become his own man", former Wimbledon champion Ashley Cooper said in Brisbane today.

Speaking after the defending champion's shock first round defeat at Wimbledon, Cooper described the 22-year-old's family circumstance as "not a healthy situation for him".

"I think it's too much of a pressure cooker," Cooper told ABC radio.

"The fact that his mother and father travel with him constantly and are even present when he practices, I think ... there's a buildup of tension there.

"I, quite frankly, would like to see him loosen the family strings a bit now and become his own man."

Cooper, who won the Wimbledon singles crown in 1958, said Pat Rafter was a calming influence on Hewitt when he was still on the tour.

"I think Lleyton was a better player then than he is now," Cooper said.

"From what I've seen probably he needs somebody like Pat to calm him down and he hasn't got it at the moment."

He feels Hewitt should look more to Belgian girlfriend Kim Clijsters than parents Glynn and Cherilyn for support.

"I think that if Lleyton gets away from the family a bit and gets influenced by Kim a bit more, I think he might settle down," said Cooper.

Hewitt went down to Croatian qualifier Ivo Karlovic, ranked 203 in the world and playing his first grand slam match, 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4.

It was only the second time in Wimbledon history and the first since the Open era began in 1968 that the defending champion had lost in the first round.

AAP

Hewitt Inc keeps the big dollars rolling in
June 21 2003
By Stephen Dabkowski

Winning Wimbledon means a lot more than a replica trophy and a bundle of ATP points. For Lleyton Hewitt, the year since he conquered Wimbledon has set him up as the hottest commercial property in Australian sport.

While countless articles have been written about Hewitt's public persona, it's clear the corporate sector has embraced him.

In fact, Hewitt's management team is trying to complete several new deals that will mean he will become close to being "sold-out" as a sponsor's vehicle - at the age of 22.

Hewitt now has 10 sponsors who are licensed to use his name to promote their wares: Nike, Yonnex, Sorbent, Microsoft X-box, Namco (video game), Net Pro (trading cards), Sydney International Tennis Centre, Australia Post, Valiant Office Furniture and Legends Genuine Memorabilia.

His management team at Octagon says it has another "three global corporations" very interested in working with Hewitt.

Rob Aivatoglou, Hewitt's manager, says that if these deals come off, then Hewitt Inc might be closed for business - because the tennis player's spare time will not be able to be stretched any further to support his sponsors.

"It is certainly foreseeable that that the 'sold-out' sign will be put on Lleyton Hewitt's off-court activity," said Aivatoglou. "We have to work our way very carefully through these opportunities so they work for both the companies involved and Lleyton.

"It's also important not to over-commit Lleyton's time, he needs to have some down time so he can recover from the rigours of playing on the circuit."

Aivatoglou says his management team knocks back plenty of potential deals because it's not a good fit for the winner of two grand slam events. "Lleyton isn't motivated by money. In planning his schedule, that doesn't come into it. He's made it clear that both the Davis Cup and the grand slams are his priority and he wants to ensure he's in peak form and fitness for those events," he said.

No one knows for sure how much Hewitt is worth these days, but it's clear the Wimbledon victory last year significantly helped the bank balance.

For a start there are the bonus payments from sponsors if you win a grand slam event or become world No. 1 and since he won Wimbledon he has picked up new corporate backers such as Sorbent.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Sorbent ads, but the company paying the bills - Carter Holt Harvey - attributes the Hewitt ads to Sorbent wiping away the competition in the first half of this year.

Carter Holt Harvey claims the Sorbent brand has had a 25 per cent increase in sales in the March quarter since the ads began. For that reason, expect to see a second round of Sorbent ads featuring Hewitt in the coming months.

The really lucrative money in the endorsement market is found in either America or parts of Asia. Already Hewitt has done one television commercial in Japan - for Nissan Noodles (instant noodles) and other relationships are said to beckon in Japan.

The only risk in the corporate embrace of Hewitt - according to the sponsorship experts - is if the debate about his occasional on-court outbursts begins to overshadow his tennis achievements.

But as long as Hewitt remains a winner of the big tournaments, he will be a hot commodity.

The key question is how much is the Hewitt success also benefiting the sport as a whole.

John Lindsay, a spokesman for the Australian Open, believes having a local player capable of winning the event such as Hewitt certainly helps ticket sales - but it is impossible to quantify.

He also quotes from the compilation of statistics that has been turned into a tennis health index - which he says shows the level of the participation in the sport in Australia is growing.

The tennis health index measures the number of tennis racquets and balls sold each year, as well as the number of people taking out memberships at tennis clubs.

Lindsay says the index shows the number of people joining the sport grew by about five per cent each year over the past five years.

"Successful players help with the development of the game, that's for sure. It's a crucial ingredient," he said.

Hewitt serves up legal action
By Patrick Miles and AAP, Tennis
June 19, 2003

ON the eve of his Wimbledon defence, Lleyton Hewitt has launched legal action against the sport's governing body, seeking $US1.5 million ($2.25m) in damages.

Lawyers for Hewitt yesterday lodged papers in the South Australian Supreme Court, suing the Association of Tennis Professionals for defamation, Hewitt's manager Rob Aivatoglou said.

The distraction caused by the legal action will be another hurdle for the world No. 2, who must overcome the loss of his coach Jason Stoltenberg less than two weeks ago and a Wimbledon draw that pits a succession of big servers against him.

However, Hewitt received one reprieve when his likely second-round opponent next week, Dutchman Richard Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion, withdrew due to injury.

The legal action stems from a long-running verbal battle between Hewitt and the ATP.

It was sparked by an ATP decision to fine Hewitt $US103,000 for failing to do a television interview in the lead-up to a Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati in August last year.

The ATP said Hewitt had breached his contract by failing to do what it said was a compulsory interview, while Hewitt said he had fulfilled all of his contractual requirements.

Hewitt launched an appeal, and a three-member ATP appeals committee upheld the ATP decision but reduced the fine to $US20,000.

That failed to satisfy Hewitt, who said last month only a public apology from the ATP and an admission it had been wrong to fine him would prevent him from launching legal action.

The ATP refused to budge on the issue, saying the committee had made its decision and the issue was settled.

Legal papers lodged by Hewitt's lawyers claimed the ATP had irreparably damaged his reputation within the general and tennis community, ABC radio said.

In the documents, Hewitt also claimed ATP officials had acted in bad faith and denied him natural justice.

Hewitt is claiming $US1m for lost international endorsements and sponsorship contracts, as well as $US500,000 for his Australian losses.

One loss Hewitt won't mind was the withdrawal of Krajicek from Wimbledon. The Dutchman withdrew after his chronic elbow injury flared in his first-round loss to Frenchman Olivier Mutis in Den Bosch, The Netherlands, leaving Hewitt with a rather more straightforward passage to the third round.

But once there he could face either Taylor Dent or Max Mirnyi, two dangerous grass-court propositions. Hewitt's first match will be against a qualifier, then he would play either another qualifier or a qualifier who has been deemed a lucky loser from this week's tournament in Roehampton and will take the place of Krajicek.

Should he survive the first week, Hewitt would be likely to face last week's winner at the Queen's Club and one of the emerging favourites for the title, Andy Roddick, in a quarter-final.

Roddick's serve poses arguably the greatest threat to Hewitt. The American equalled Greg Rusedski's five-year-old ATP record for the fastest serve at Queen's last week, reaching 239.7km/h.

By a twist of fate, little more than a week later, Roddick is likely to face the Briton, as the two are on a collision course to meet in the second round.

Although Hewitt's draw looks tough on paper, the Australian is not overly concerned.

"It all depends on how it pans out," Hewitt said. "A lot of grand slam draws look tough right at the start, then they open up."

The Australian

Game, set and match to the parents
MIKE GIBSON

11jun03

WHAT is it about tennis players that they have to cart around their mothers and fathers? Why do they choose to carry the family baggage, or is that vice-versa?

Sure, their parents can pack the bags, wipe their noses, and argue the bill when they check out of the pub.

But why do they always have to BE there?

Whether it's the Williams sisters with their old man, Lleyton Hewitt with his mum and dad, or Jelena Dokic and dotty Damir, tennis has become a game in which parents feature almost as prominently as their kids hitting the ball out there on the court.

When I say kids, I tend to forget. Some of these players who take their parents on tour are adults.

Well. . .

Adults in the sense that they are over 21. But grown up? No.

Name any other sport – or any other job, for that matter – where grown adults go off to their workplace each day with their mother and father in tow?

G'day, I'm Wayne. I've come to fix your plumbing. By the way, that's mum and dad out there in the truck.

Good morning, I'm your surgeon. I'll be removing your leg. This is mum and dad – do you mind if they push the trolley?

I can understand parents travelling with their child during those fledgling years on the tennis circuit.

But how long do they stay on the tour? How old should a competitor be when he or she finally cancels the family ticket?

Hewitt's parents are so much part of the furniture that his mother even appears in his toilet paper commercials.

Come on. When is it time to pull the chain, or should I say, cut the cord?

It wasn't always so.

When John Newcombe and Tony Roche were our pin-up boys, they didn't travel with their parents.

They travelled with a hangover, playing the game hard both on – and off – the court.

But today, like your Medicare card, tennis is a family package, with the poor old coach thrown into the mix.

The latest coach to bail out of such a family affair is Jason Stoltenberg.

Having guided Hewitt to win Wimbledon last year, rather than try for the double, Stoltenberg suddenly decided to quit.

No one is saying much. The official line from Team Hewitt is that Jason wanted to spend more time with the family.

His own, that is.

I can understand that.

But what I fail to comprehend is why he didn't hang around for another month.

Why not be there, to try to guide the world's No. 1 player at the world's No. 1 tournament, to his second men's singles crown?

Why jump the first plane out of Charles de Gaulle airport, after Hewitt was bundled out in round three of the French Open?

Hewitt now faces the considerable task of trying to successfully defend his title with his parents by his side, along with former assistant coach Roger Rasheed.

Talk about a career change.

A fitness adviser and one-time struggling tennis pro, this time last year Roger's job was working the scoreboard for the Port Adelaide football club.

Still.

As long as he can keep score with Team Hewitt, as long as everyone can remain cordial around the breakfast table, stranger things have happened.

If it all works out, maybe Roger can get a roll – I mean role – in the next toilet paper commercial.

Anyone for tennis?

Rog, bring the racquets and pass the sauce.

Daily Telegraph

Stoltenberg resigns
By LEO SCHLINK
09jun03

JASON Stoltenberg has resigned as Lleyton Hewitt's coach on the eve of the world No.1's defence of the Wimbledon crown.

Stoltenberg formally quit on Thursday after pondering his future, believing it was "time to move on". He has been replaced by Hewitt's assistant coach Roger Rasheed.

South Australian Rasheed, 34, is a former touring professional with a career-high singles ranking of 130th.

Stoltenberg has been wrestling with his future recently and has decided he wants to spend more time with his wife and two young children in Melbourne.

"My time with Lleyton was full of great memories, specifically Wimbledon and Shanghai last year," Stoltenberg said.

"Australia should be proud of Lleyton with the effort and time he puts in representing Australia and I will be looking forward to sitting back and seeing his career unfold in the direction we have grown used to.

"For me it's time to move on. I believe Lleyton is poised to defend his Wimbledon title, which I know he holds so dear.

"It's been a pleasure and honour to have worked with Lleyton for the past 18 months.

"Lleyton has become close to myself and also my family and this will always continue. The same applies to his family, who have understood and supported me with this decision."

While surprised by the timing of Stoltenberg's decision, Hewitt, 22, does not believe he will be disadvantaged by the move.

"Jason's been great for my game and I understand the reasons why he has taken this decision," Hewitt said before flying to London, where he will attempt to win a fourth consecutive Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club.

"It's a lifestyle decision and I respect that. He's been honest about it and with him working closely with Roger since December, I don't see that there will be a problem.

"Jason and Roger have worked together well and they both think about tennis in the same way. I'm grateful for the time I had with Jason, he's a great coach and good mate of my family.

"At the same time, I think Roger will do a great job, too."

Rasheed, forced out of top-line tennis because of a chronic back problem, played league football with Sturt in South Australian National Football League in 1993.

Rasheed, who has known Hewitt for more than 10 years and played against the world No.1 in pennant competition, said he would not make any changes to a game which has already delivered two majors and carried the Adelaide baseliner to peaks of the sport.

"I guess the timing is a little unfortunate," Rasheed said.

"But right at this time we're right in the middle of the season, so it's a matter of business as usual as far as Lleyton is concerned.

"I've worked closely with Jason and with my tennis background -- and having seen Lleyton come up as a junior -- I won't be making any changes to Lleyton's game. The coaching caper is more about managing the athlete and having them in the right frame of mind when they take the court.

"We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, but it's a great opportunity for me and I'm pretty excited about it.

"Hopefully, we can have good results over the grasscourt season and I look forward to working with Lleyton for the rest of the season and beyond."

Hewitt split with Darren Cahill at the end of the 2001 season and began working with Stoltenberg, who guided the right-hander to 61 wins from 76 singles matches and five titles including Wimbledon and the Tennis Masters Cup last year.

Cahill, who now works with world No.2 Andre Agassi, was at the helm when Hewitt captured the 2001 US Open.

Rasheed previously worked with vastly improved Adelaide serve-volleyer Alicia Molik and runs a fitness training business.

Daily telegraph

Aussie court jesters
By Richard Hinds
June 10 2003

In the supposedly professional world of top-flight tennis, it seems strange at the very least that Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis - one the defending champion, the other possessing the game to seize the title - will enter Wimbledon without the coaches who had guided them for the early part of the year.

If a change was necessary, surely it should have been done earlier in the season when the appropriate fine-tuning could be done on the practice court - not in the midst of the toughest and potentially most rewarding part of the tennis calendar.

However, as enigmatic and unpredictable as both camps are - and as much as Papa Hewitt and Papa Philippoussis can influence their sons' careers - no one seems particularly startled that Hewitt has parted with coach Jason Stoltenberg or that Philippoussis has off-loaded Peter McNamara for a second time.

As they warm up for Wimbledon by playing doubles together at the Queen's Club tournament, the question will be whether they have simply undergone a natural transition or made one change too many.

Once, already, Hewitt has proved a doubting public wrong after a change of coach. When he split with the popular Darren Cahill after winning the 2001 US Open, many assumed he had been poorly advised and would suffer the consequences. Instead, under Stoltenberg, he won Wimbledon and defended his No.1 ranking.

While Cahill has maintained his silence about his split with Hewitt, it is accepted that it was at least partly the result of a disagreement with Hewitt's father, Glynn. This time, it is claimed the decision to leave was Stoltenberg's alone - although there may have been other circumstances at play besides his wish to stay at home with his young family.

Stoltenberg had expressed private doubts about continuing with the Hewitt caravan at the start of the year because of those personal factors. However, the demands the ultra-aggressive Hewitt made of the easygoing coach are also said to be a factor in his sudden decision.

Throughout matches, it is not unknown for Hewitt to turn his aggression on those in his support staff. The remarks are sometimes harsh, although, in the give-as-good-as-you-get world of Team Hewitt, no offence is intended. But the Hewitt entourage is no place for the thin-skinned.

The South Australian's results this year have also not been impressive. His preparation for the French Open was intentionally limited. However, he never seemed a realistic threat on clay and will have to turn his game around quickly to mount a successful title defence on grass. Stoltenberg is likely to have been made aware of all this.

There was a ready-made, if inexperienced, replacement on stand-by. Former journeyman player Roger Rasheed is intimate with the Hewitts as a fellow South Australian, and attuned to their football-club mentality.

Rasheed joined Hewitt as a fitness adviser this year. Whether he can bring the same expertise as the more accomplished players, Cahill and Stoltenberg, remains to be seen. But top-flight playing experience has never been a pre-requisite for a successful coach.

Philippoussis's decision to dump McNamara is more controversial. While McNamara would not elaborate on the reasons for the split, the talk has been that there were financial issues. The Philippoussis camp is said to believe McNamara was paid too much. McNamara is said to have only been asking for the market rate.

So Philippoussis will turn up at Wimbledon with his father, Nick, carrying the racquets. Glynn Hewitt has long performed that duty for his son. And so the coaching merry-go-round of both players takes another turn.

-----------------------------------------------------

Touring parents makes life tough for coaches

June 10, 2003
THERE is more in common with Little Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis than the fact that they go through coaches more often than ticket inspectors.

Both men travel with their families. They pack them as regularly as they do their socks and jocks.

That is not to say there is a cause and effect between family and a high turnover in coaches, but it is worth some consideration.

Philippoussis has recently sacked Peter McNamara. The pair had been working to re-establish the Philippoussis's position after injury and apathy had seen him crash down the world rankings. Now Dad Nick is once more steering the US Open runner-up's career.

That seems a combination Dad Nick is most happy with and one that his son at the very least tolerates. Philippoussis appears a simple soul who would be uncomfortable with a tense environment no matter how productive. Dad Nick may be his coach from beginning to end.

Little Lleyton is in his final preparation for his Wimbledon defence without Jason Stoltenberg, the coach who guided him to the grass court title last year. As a team they combined to win 61 of 76 singles matches.

Stoltenberg quit his position after Hewitt lost in the third round of the French Open. Stoltenberg cited family reasons and, of course, we must take that on face value.

However, the timing is as awkward as it is extraordinary for the world's No. 1 player. Stoltenberg is missing his family back in Australia and will return home.

It remains curious that Stoltenberg could not stay with Hewitt over the duration of Wimbledon and catch the first plane home after that. They have been together for the past 18 months. What's 19 months?

The statements released over the weekend by Little Lleyton and Stoltenberg are so measured they have a chill to them. Both coach and player make reference to how well Stoltenberg got on with Hewitt's family. And vice-versa.

It is as though they are trying to pre-empt public speculation.

Darren Cahill, who was with Hewitt when he won the US Open, left in similarly sudden and unexpected circumstances. Again, it was for family reasons.

What is common to both Philippoussis and Hewitt is that their families have always been by their side.

It must be a difficult environment for all concerned. Hewitt's parents have every right to be proud of their son's tennis achievements. A two-time Grand Slam winner and world No. 1.

None of his success has come easily, for he has stretched and drained every ounce of ability from his small frame. He is as tightly strung as his racquet. They know that for a fact for they are in the stands even to watch him do up his shoelaces.

Parents Glynn and Cherilyn head a Hewitt camp that shuns outsiders. It cannot be easy for a coach to make decisions and demands that are visible and possibly reviewed by the omni-present parents.

Only a handful of media can gain an audience with Little Lleyton. Those that have been critical of him, raised an eyebrow of concern, can only walk the perimeter.

Professional tennis is an insular, idiosyncratic life at the best of times. It is a life spent in planes, hotels and tennis shorts. The world rankings formula demands that you constantly travel, defending points and titles. It can be claustrophobic and clammy.

Hewitt and his girlfriend Kim Clijsters have mumbled thoughts of marriage. That may be a defining moment in camp dynamics.

Such closeness is a major reason tennis players do switch coaches. Andre Agassi and Brad Gilbert appeared inseparable as the American made his triumphant comeback to Grand Slam dominance. Cahill now coaches Agassi. Gilbert is a voluble and opinionated man. Agassi has said that Gilbert gave lots of advice but that sometimes the value was not always helpful. He was certainly always in Agassi's ear.

Hewitt will now be guided by Roger Rasheed. The fitness adviser and former battling tennis pro has had a profound career change since joining Camp Hewitt at the end of last year.

Only two months earlier it was Rasheed who had Collingwood president Eddie McGuire hunting down AFL officials during last year's qualifying final between the Magpies and Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

A heated McGuire cornered AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson to loudly note his outrage at the parochial comments coming from the Port Adelaide scoreboard manager – a certain Roger Rasheed.

The South Australian National Football League was so embarrassed by Rasheed's impromptu and pointed observations on the scoreboard that they formally apologised to the AFL.

When you are as good as Hewitt, coaching may mean no more than keeping the peace, fine-tuning the camp karma.

There appears no reason a former tennis pro and scoreboard attendant couldn't do that. Not two weeks out from Wimbledon.

Hewitt to be Bjorn again
By Neil Harman
30apr03
LLEYTON HEWITT will bypass another of the most significant tournaments in the world to make certain he is fully prepared for the six weeks when he feels he can perform a task thought to be beyond the physical bounds of the modern player.
The Australian, whose 75-week reign as world No.1 was brought to an end on Sunday when Andre Agassi won the US clay court title in Houston, has said he will not play the Rome Masters next week.
The lure of back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon championships is eating away Hewitt.
Even to contemplate such an accomplishment - last performed, for the third year in succession, by the extraordinary Bjorn Borg in 1980 - Hewitt knows he cannot venture to Europe too early and run the risk that his style, which calls for more output than any other player, will cause a breakdown in his fitness.
The Wimbledon champion intends to make his 2003 clay court debut at the Hamburg Masters, starting next Monday week and, the following week, he has chosen to spearhead Australia in the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, his debut in the event.
By the time the French Open rolls around at Roland Garros, where Hewitt, 22, has not been beyond the quarter-finals in four attempts, he should have been exposed to the perfect amount of time on clay for someone of his physique and approach.
There are those who will interpret Hewitt's decision as another snub to the ATP's Masters Series, given he has been at loggerheads with the association for five years and is involved in litigation with them, a fall-out from a TV interview that did not take place in Cincinnati last year.
The message from Hewitt and his advisers is the player had long outlined his priorities for the season and he will not be diverted, however much the ATP has tried to market the nine-event series as the vehicle for the biggest and best in men's tennis.
Neither Hewitt nor Agassi played in Monte Carlo this month. Agassi will play in Rome, Hewitt will not and the two will reverse the situation in Hamburg.
"We have changed the schedule a couple of times because Lleyton's goals are Davis Cup - because he really believes with their draw and Mark Philippoussis's return to the team Australia stands a real chance of winning it back - and he wants to win a grand slam for the third year in a row," Hewitt's manager Tom Ross said.
"He is not conceding the French Open to anyone and he wants to retain his Wimbledon title.
"When he got back home (after three tournaments in the US in March and the Davis Cup tie in Sweden in early April) his doctors told him he needed a real rest."

The Times

Andre's top rank won't faze Hewitt

By DOUG ROBERTSON
28apr03
The Advertiser

LLEYTON Hewitt's run as the world's No. 1 tennis player has been broken after 75 consecutive weeks at the top.

Evergreen Andre Agassi has replaced Hewitt as world No. 1 after a straight-sets victory over little-known Austrian Jurgen Melzer, in the semi-finals at the US Clay Court Championships, in Houston.

At 33 tomorrow, Agassi is the oldest tennis player to be ranked number one in the 20-year history of ATP rankings.

Health problems and fatigue from two years of the most demanding schedule in men's tennis – and a legal dispute with the ATP, mens' tennis governing body, over not attending a pre-match interview in August – prompted Hewitt, 22, to take a more measured approach to his program. The Crows No.1 ticket holder, a relaxed Hewitt was in Adelaide's changerooms after watching Showdown XIII on Saturday night.

He was the youngest player (20 years and 10 months) to be world No.1 by after winning the Sydney Masters Series in 2001, after playing an ATP-high 80 tournaments [sic: matches, not tournaments] that year.

"It's no secret that Lleyton is focusing on the Grand Slams and Davis Cup this year. He's going to build up for that," Hewitt's manager Rob Aivatoglou said. "We haven't talked about it (losing No.1).

Hewitt is expected to play the Masters Series in Hamburg next month then in Rome, although that is yet to be confirmed.

Agassi, coached by Hewitt's former tutor Adelaide's Darren Cahill, widely lauded for igniting Hewitt's stellar career, is a fitting replacement for Hewitt, who grew up idolising the gritty American's courage and talents.

Agassi was Hewitt's first major scalp when he rose to world notice as a wide-eyed 16-year-old in the semi-final of the Australian Hardcourt Championships, in Adelaide, in 1998.

Agassi was first No.1 in April 1995 and stayed there for 30 weeks. He fell more 141 places by 1997 after the end of his marriage to actor Brooke Shields.