2008 news and updates
May 7
Lleyton's hip continues to trouble him. therefore he has withdrawn from
Hamburg Masters which commences May 12. No word as yet as to when he will return
to competition.
May 1
Lleyton has withdrawn from Rome Masters because of his hip injury which
hasn't responded to treatment as well as he hoped. He will endeavour to play
Hamburg May 12
April 28
Lleyton Hewitt will return to the practice court with coach Tony Roche today
and depart for the Rome Masters later this week, his manager, David Drysdale,
said the Australian's recuperation from a hip injury had left him "a little bit
underdone" for the early stages of the claycourt season.
Hewitt has been limited to occasional gym workouts since leading Australia to
a 5-0 Davis Cup win over Thailand in Townsville two weeks ago, and poor weather
in Sydney had limited outdoor preparations. After Rome, Hewitt will attempt to
defend the 225 rankings points earned through reaching the semi-final of last
year's Hamburg Masters, before taking a week off to prepare for the French Open
in May.
April 18
Lleyton, a champ of the kids, too
GIVEN all the adverse publicity he has got over the years, it's a great credit
to Lleyton Hewitt that we learn not only is he a champion of the underprivileged
but goes about it without a hint of fanfare, preferring it goes completely
unrecognised in the press. And a perfect example of that happened during the
Davis Cup tie in Townsville last weekend when he flew a young cystic fibrosis
sufferer from his home in the outer Melbourne suburb of Lysterfield to
Queensland to spend the entire weekend with the team, paying for all his
expenses including air tickets and five-star accommodation at the team's hotel.
"It's something he does a lot of but prefers to keep it quiet," Hewitt's manager
David Drysdale said yesterday. And what a weekend it was for 15-year-old Murray
Brown and his brother Geoff whom Hewitt also treated to a trip to remember. Not
only did the boys have breakfast every morning with Hewitt and sat courtside
with him and other team members for every day of the tournament but, at the
champ's insistence, Murray also got to toss the coin on the first day. And, for
good measure, when it was over he sent him home with a signed hat, playing top,
and one of his racquets. Said Drysdale: "You only have to have a look at
Lleyton's website to see all the good things for people with special needs and
his contribution to the Special Olympics in America. In the same tournament in
Townsville a cerebral palsy sufferer was driven a long way just to see Lleyton
play and Lleyton spent 15 minutes talking to him."
April 16
AUSTRALIA's
quest to return to the Davis Cup's World Group
was last night dealt a massive body blow when it
was drawn to face Chile away in September's
playoffs.
John Fitzgerald's public wish for better luck
in cup draws was ignored by the tennis gods when
the third seed was assigned to battle the South
Americans. Chile, led by Australian Open runner-up
Fernando Gonzalez and Olympic gold medallist
Nicolas Massu, was among three unseeded
potential horror draws. Belgium landed Roger Federer's Switzerland,
while Austria must contend with the Andy
Murray-led Great Britain.
But Chile on clay is about as forbidding as
it gets. The South Americans will soon notify the
International Tennis Federation of its choice of
venue and surface, although a slow claycourt is
certain.
If Australia fails to win the September 19-21
tie, the second most successful cup nation in
history will be forced to cool its heels in
zonal competition for another season. The Australians are on a crusade for
redemption after losing to Novak Djokovic's
Serbia in September's playoffs.
Gonzalez, ranked 14th, is Chile's only
representative in the top 100. But he is a fearsome, if erratic, competitor.
He will be backed by Massu, ranked 108th, and
Paul Capdeville (115th).
Lleyton Hewitt will be again asked to bear
the brunt of Australia's workload. Ranked 20th, Hewitt will be supported by
Chris Guccione (67), claycourter Peter Luczak
(83) and doubles specialist Paul Hanley.
April 14
Already resigned to missing the Monte Carlo Masters, which starts on April
21, Hewitt hopes to resume in the Rome Masters from May 5. If all goes to plan,
he would then contest the Hamburg Masters, French Open, Queen's Club in London,
Wimbledon, Toronto Masters, Cincinnati Masters, the Olympics and US Open before
the September 19-21 World Group playoff.
"At this stage (I'm) probably planning on starting in Rome, as long as I can
get my body right," Hewitt said yesterday. "At the moment, I'm not really
focused on the tournaments coming up.
"It's more getting my body right and hopefully being able to get some hitting
time on clay before I've got to play the tournaments over there." Ranked 21st in
the world, Hewitt will be under pressure to stay in the top 25 unless he
performs strongly in Rome, Hamburg and Paris.
He has dropped the Poertschach event in Austria, where he was a semi-finalist
last year, from his schedule. "I actually feel like the last couple of years
have been a couple of my best years on clay," Hewitt said.
"You keep learning, no matter how many times you go around. I think clay when
you first come on - being an Australian, we haven't really grown up on it - it's
a totally different style of play. "Last year in Hamburg, I can't play much
better than that on a tennis court, I don't think, no matter what surface it's
on. "I probably should have beaten Rafael Nadal in the semis there in Hamburg,
and then the French it's taken Nadal the last two years to beat me. "So if I
keep putting myself in a position, maybe I'll get on the other side of the draw
as him and play him a little bit later in the tournament."
April 13
The Optus Australian Davis Cup team completed a clean sweep of Thailand
winning both reverse singles matches in the final day of its
Asia–Oceania Zone Group One second round tie in Townsville.
Australia must now wait until Thursday’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas
draw to learn its opponent in the World Group play-off in September. A
win in September will return Australia to the World Group comprising the
top 16 Davis Cup nations.
Peter Luczak improved his Davis Cup career record to 2-4 eventually
overpowering Thai number one player Danai Udomchoke 6-4 5-7 6-4 in one
hour 52 minutes.
“I love playing Davis Cup and I love playing in front of a home
crowd,” Luczak said, graciously adding he thought teammate Chris
Guccione might have tired his opponent out in their five-set marathon
two days earlier.
Chris Guccione then reeled off 24 aces on his way to a 68 minute
minute final rubber victory over Weerpat Doakmaiklee 6-2 7-6(1).
Guccione is now 7-4 in Davis Cup.
The entire Optus Australian Davis Cup team then joined Guccione on
court to thank the Townsville crowd for its tremendous support.
“We love playing at home and we have been absolutely thrilled with
the hospitality and support from the people of Townsville,” Optus Davis
Cup captain John Fitzgerald said later also thanking the Thailand team
for the gracious manner in which they played the tie.
Australia v Thailand results
Chris Guccione (AUS) d Danai Udomchoke (THA) 6-7(3) 7-6(7) 4-6 7-6(6)
7-5
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d Kirati Siributwong (THA) 6-0 6-0 6-1
Paul Hanley/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d Weerapat Doakmaiklee/Kirati
Siributwong (THA) 6-3 6-1 6-0
Peter Luczak (AUS) d Danaii Udomchoke (THA) 6-4 5-7 6-4
Chris Guccione (AUS) d Weerapat Doakmaiklee (THA) 6-2 7-6(1)
April 12
A straight-sets victory in today's doubles rubber has given Australia an
unbeatable lead over Thailand in the Davis Cup tie in Townsville.
Lleyton Hewitt and Paul Hanley outclassed Weerapat Doakmaiklee and Kirati
Siributwong 6-3 6-1 6-0 to put Australia 3-0 up in the Asia–Oceania group
second-round tie.
Australia can now look forward to a play-off in September for the right to
re-enter the competition's elite 16-nation World Group in 2009.
The draw for the play-offs will be conducted early next week and the most
desirable result for Australia would be a home tie against either Peru, the
Netherlands, Israel, Brazil, Chile or Colombia.
The worst-case scenario would be a home fixture against Roger Federer's
Switzerland, although an away tie against India or Andy Murray's Great Britain
aren't exactly appealing either.
It could have been far worse, though.
Currently ranked 10th in the world, Australia are guaranteed a seeding –
possibly No.1 – for the play-offs, meaning John Fitzgerald's team will at least
be spared another showdown with Serbia.
It was the Novak Djokovic-inspired Serbs who sent 28-times champions
Australia packing from the World Group for only the second time with a 4-1
humbling in Belgrade last September.
Australia entered day two against Thailand with a 2-0 advantage following
singles wins on Friday for Hewitt over Siributwong, and Chris Guccione over
Danai Udomchoke, and were keen to make swift work of the doubles.
And they were never troubled, dropping just four games, with Hewitt saying it
was a relief to be a step closer to a return to the World Group.
"These are never easy matches. Obviously we were the favourites coming into
the tie but you still have to go out there and get the job done," Hewitt said.
"And now it's a matter of winning the World Group play-off in September."
April 11
Australia lead Thailand 2-0
| Chris Guccione and Lleyton Hewitt have given
Australia a commanding 2-0 advantage with starkly
contrasting singles victories on day one of the Davis
Cup playoff with Thailand in Townsville. Guccione
saved three successive match points before squeezing out
an epic 6-7(3) 7-6(6) 4-6 7-6(6) 7-5 win over Thai No.1
Danai Udomchoke before Hewitt crushed Cup novice Kirati
Siributwong 6-0 6-0 6-1 in barely an hour.
Hewitt and Paul Hanley will have the opportunity to
clinch the best-of-five-match Asia–Oceania zone
second-round tie in tomorrow's doubles against Weerapat
Doakmaiklee and untried teenager Perakiat
Siriluethaiwattana.
Doubles success would thrust Australia into a
play-off in September for re-entry to the elite
16-nation World Group next year.
While Hewitt's victory over the 978th-ranked
Siributwong was little more than a training drill for
the former world No.1, Guccione fought doggedly for
three hours and 39 minutes to subdue Udomchoke |
April 10
Davis Cup draw
|
Friday 11 April
Start 11.00 am
Rubber 1 - singles
Chris Guccione (AUS)
v
Danai Udomchoke (THA)
11.00 am
Rubber 2 - singles
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
v
Kirati Siributwong (THA)
Following first rubber
|
Saturday 12 April
Start 2.00pm
Rubber 3 - doubles
Paul Hanley/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
v
Perakiat Siriluethaiwattana/ Weerapat Doakmaiklee (THA)
2.00 pm |
Sunday 13 April
Start 11.00 am
Rubber 4 - singles
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
v
Danai Udomchoke (THA)
11.00 am
Rubber 5 - singles
Chris Guccione (AUS)
v
Kirati Siributwong (THA)
Following fourth rubber
|
April 4
SCANS yesterday
showed Lleyton Hewitt could have tendinitis and a hip tendon tear -
or a combination of both - but he is determined to lead Australia in
its Davis Cup tie against Thailand in Townsville next week.
World No. 22
Hewitt had MRI scans on his sore left hip yesterday and was advised
by a surgeon to rest and continue treatment.
But Hewitt has not
given up playing against Thailand.
"I am extremely
determined to play for my country in Townsville and will be doing
everything in my power to be as close to 100 per cent physically by
Friday," Hewitt said on his website.
"This tie is
important for the team, as a win would give us the opportunity to
compete in a playoff to make it back in the World Group, where I
believe Australia belongs."
Hewitt has
suffered hip pain since losing to American Mardy Fish in Indian
Wells last month.
Rest and constant
treatment from Melbourne physiotherapist Ivan Gutierrez had Hewitt
expecting he would be able to handle Jose Acasuso's second-round
challenge at the Miami Masters on Sunday.
But the former
world No. 1 struggled for full movement against the Argentine as the
discomfort resurfaced, losing in straight sets.
If Australia was
not involved in a Davis Cup tie next week, Hewitt would not have
contemplated returning to the court.
But such is his
appetite for the team's format, where he is Australia's most
successful singles player, Hewitt is prepared to play through the
pain barrier.
Thailand will be
without its best-performed singles player, Paradorn Srichaphan, and
its strongest doubles team, brothers Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana.
Hewitt will travel
to Queensland this weekend, giving him up to five days to prepare
for the tie.
Chris Guccione,
Peter Luczak and Paul Hanley are Hewitt's teammates next week, with
Australian Open junior champions Brydan Klein and Bernard Tomic to
serve as practice partners
March 29
Hewitt hip injury a worry for Davis Cup
Lleyton Hewitt has thrown a scare into the Australian Davis Cup camp,
revealing he's suffering a hip injury which contributed to his first match exit
from the Miami Masters.
Hewitt lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to Argentina's Jose Acasuso on Saturday and has
only 12 days to recover from his hip problem before the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania
zone second round tie against Thailand in Townsville.
"I just couldn't quite move properly," said Hewitt, who picked up the problem
last week in Indian Wells.
"I went out there, and I tried and just couldn't quite compete the way wanted
to. I suffered against it (Mardy) Fish last week, and I've been battling it ever
since.
"I tried to do everything to get in shape to be ready today, but it wasn't
quite there."
Hewitt's spring US adventure ended on a low note, with a 3-3 record from the
Las Vegas, California and Florida tournaments.
While insisting that he didn't know exactly what the hip injury problem was,
Hewitt knows he needs to get it solved.
"I was just trying to get as much treatment as possible in the last couple of
days. I didn't hit yesterday to try to be right for today, but that's how it
goes," he said.
"I didn't feel my footwork was great today, and that's what lost me the
match, I think."
The former No.1's last multiple-title season was in 2004, since winning just
one title per year. His lone 2007 trophy was in June at Queen's club in June on
grass.
March 18
Hewitt was knocked out by American Mardy Fish, who beat the Australian for
the first time 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-4).
"It was close the whole way," Hewitt said. "He served well. I had a few
slight chances in the third set and I wasn't really under a lot of pressure on
my serve in the third set. "He played a great serving tiebreak to finish it
off."
He will play Miami next week.
DAVIS CUP - Lleyton Hewitt will lead the Australian
Davis Cup squad against Thailand in next month's tie in Townsville, Tennis
Australia said Wednesday. Peter Luczak, at a career high of world number 69, has
been recalled to the team which will play the Asia/Oceania Zone Group One second
round tie on April 11 to 13.
The inclusion of 28-year-old Luczak edges out Alun Jones who was named in the
team which last month beat Taiwan. Australia's Davis Cup Captain John Fitzgerald
says it is still not guaranteed that Hewitt will play in the opening match.
"It depends on the week leading up, and obviously there's a fair chance he'd
[Lleyton] play on the opening day, and he'd play their number two player on the
opening day," he said. "Because that's the way the draw pans out but depending
on the form of the other guys, we'll make a choice when we're actually there in
the week leading up."
Along with world number 24 Hewitt, the team will include Chris Guccione (70)
and doubles specialist Paul Hanley. The winner of the Townsville round will earn
a berth in the World Group play-offs in September.
March 17
Lleyton defeated Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-1 in the 3rd rd.
Lleyton was a bit shakey, going down 4-2 in the first set against Mikhail
Youzhny before finding his range. Hewitt, the world No.24 and back-to-back
winner in 2002 and 2003, levelled the match and broke the Russian world No.13
again in the 11th game before serving out the set.Youzhny imploded in the
second, eventually finishing with 44 unforced errors to hand the former world
No.1 a 7-5 6-1 victory.
March 16
Contrary to predictions, Lleyton had an
impressive second rd victory against Sam Querrey in his 1st match at this year's
Indian Wells tournament, 6-4 6-3. He was in fine form to break his opponent to
love in the 9th game and went on to serve out the set 6-4. He won the second set
after breaking Querrey twice to lead 3-0. Querrey rallied to regain a break
however Lleyton was always in front and won the 2nd set 6-3. He will now meet
Youzny, from Russia, on Tuesday, US time.
March 15
Something has to give when streaking Sam
Querrey takes on veteran Lleyton Hewitt in the second round of the Pacific Life
Open on Sunday. Querrey will try to blow his opponent away with huge serves and
forehands, while Hewitt will merely attempt to keep too many balls in play.
Although Sam Querrey has been on the pro tour for two years now and Lleyton
Hewitt has been around for a decade, this second-round battle in Indian Wells
will be the first time the two players have ever squared off head-to-head. Will
Querrey’s power be too much for the Aussie to contend with, or will Hewitt
frustrate the up-and-coming American by getting ball after ball back in the
court?
If recent form is any indication, Hewitt could have some serious trouble in this
match even though he is seeded 24th, whereas Querrey is unseeded. Other than his
epic win over Baghdatis in Australia that ended after 4:30 in the morning,
Hewitt has really struggled this season. In Rotterdam he got caught looking
ahead to a potential second-round clash with Rafael Nadal and lost to unheralded
Andreas Seppi in a third-set tiebreaker. Most recently in Las Vegas, Hewitt took
out slumping Marat Safin in round one before being stunned by Julien Benneteau.
The 20-year-old Querrey, on the other hand, is playing the best tennis of his
life. He is coming off his first-ever ATP title, which he captured last week at
the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, where Hewitt was the No. 2 seed. Querrey
had to save a match point in the first round against Sebastien Grosjean, but it
quickly became a lot easier. He scored impressive wins over Nicolas Kiefer,
Benneteau, and Guillermo Canas before ending the run of fellow youngster Kevin
Anderson in the final. Querrey surged up to No. 48 in the world rankings—just
one spot away from his career-high—and he appears to be keeping up that momentum
at the Pacific Life Open. He dispatched Luis Horna 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first
round, firing 12 aces in the process.
At 6’5’’ and owner of a massive serve and forehand, Querrey will present
significant problems for his opponent. Hewitt prefers to play against guys who
cannot overpower him physically, as he makes a living off requiring his
adversaries stay on the court much longer than they would like. Players who have
big weapons and can end points early like Querrey have an easier time of it with
Hewitt. Nonetheless, it will be far from easy for the American. Querrey must
serve huge, as he usually does, and most importantly he has to pay smart tennis.
If he buckles under the pressure of having to hit so many balls to win points
and starts going for ill-advised winners before the opportunities are really
there, Hewitt could seize the edge in this showdown.
Querrey is playing with so much confidence right now that it is hard to bet
against him. This match has all the makings of a grueling three-set thriller and
those are the kinds of matches that Hewitt normally pulls out, but at this point
in time Querrey just has too many weapons.
March 6
Lleyton Hewitt's luck
ran out in Las Vegas on
Wednesday, as the second-seeded Australian crashed out of the 436,000-dollar ATP
tournament here at the hands of
France's Julien Benneteau.
Benneteau shocked the defending champion 6-3, 7-5 to book a quarter-final
berth against American Sam Querrey.
Hewitt, 27, has dominated here in recent years. He won the title in 2000 and
2003 as well as last year, and had reached the final in five of his six
appearances, including the past two years.
But Benneteau brought that run of success to a screeching halt. He broke
Hewitt five times to hand him just his fourth defeat in his last 31 matches
here.
Hewitt, ranked 24th in the world, had cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over
erratic Russian Marat Safin
in the first round.
However, his serve let him down against Benneteau, who is in search of his
first career ATP singles title and improved to 6-4 this season.
Benneteau broke Hewitt twice en route to taking the first set and broke him
twice again to lead 5-3 in the second.
Hewitt, showing a flash of the form that has earned him 26 career titles,
held serve then regained a break as Benneteau double-faulted to even the second
set at 5-5.
Benneteau, however, broke back and served out the match in 1hr 45min.
Lleyton will play Indian Wells March 13
March 4
Defending champion and second seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia crushed
Russian Marat Safin 6-2 6-1 in the Las Vegas Open first round on Monday.
Hewitt converted four of six break points and won 83 per cent of his first
serve points to clinch victory in 58 minutes.
“I knew I was going to have to be on my game from the start,” Hewitt told
reporters. “I was able to get up that early break in both sets, which is
important.”
Safin double-faulted three times and made just 40 per cent of his first serve
points.
Hewitt became only the second man, after American Andre Agassi, to win the
Las Vegas title three times with a straight-sets victory over Austrian Juergen
Melzer in last year’s final.
February 20
Lleyton Hewitt's third European indoor tournament in nearly
three-and-a-half years has lasted one round and three hours.
The former number one, whose history of ankle injuries has disrupted his
tennis travel plans in recent seasons, missed on a match point as he lost to
Italian Andreas Seppi 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7/4) at the Rotterdam Open first
round overnight.
Hewitt last played indoors in Europe a year ago in Marseille, winning a
round. Before that he last appeared under a roof on the continent at Paris in
November, 2004.
"This is my only indoor event, so it's not like I need indoor matches. I
didn't come here expecting a whole heap," said Hewitt, who is scheduled to play
in just over a week outdoors in Las Vegas, where he will defend the last title
he won.
The Australian's record in tie-breakers has come under scrutiny, with Hewitt
now having lost seven of his last eight deciders.Seppi turned the tide in his
win thanks to top tie-break play.
"I have the same mindset every year - to win," said former Wimbledon and US
Open champion Hewitt. "I would have liked to have gotten a few rounds here, but
I have to forget about it now.
"When you're at your peak, you game's on auto-pilot. You manage to get over
the line in matches like this. "When you haven't had a lot of tight matches, you
hang back waiting for things to happen."
Hewitt, who won against Marcos Baghdatis at the Australian Open in a match
which ended at a record 4:40 am in Melbourne, said he was still pleased with his
form at his home major where he reached the fourth round.
"I played well at the Open. I absolutely think I can get back to the top
five. You just need a bit of luck, you need a break," he said."But once you get
a quarter-final or semi-final at a slam, the floodgates open."
Feb 11
Lleyton will play Rotterdam Feb 18
Feb 9
| The Optus Australian Davis Cup team’s
focus will now switch to Townsville in April
after Lleyton Hewitt and Paul Hanley
produced a gutsy fightback from two sets
down to win the doubles and seal the tie
against Chinese Taipei 3-0.
Australia will host the winner of the
Kazakhstan v Thailand clash for an
Asia-Oceania Zone Group One second round
match of the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas.
The victor in Townsville will secure a
berth in the play-off to go into the World
Group.
The Hewitt-Hanley pairing is now 2-1 in
Davis Cup matches after their remarkable 2-6
6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 6-2 win against Yen-Hsun Lu
and Yeu-Tzuoo Wang at Yang Ming Tennis
Stadium in Kaohsiung this afternoon.
Lu and Wang’s pinpoint returning helped
them break Hanley’s serve twice and race
away with the opening set.
After trailing 4-1 in the second set
tiebreaker, the locals then reeled off a
stunning six straight points to surge to a
two set advantage.
“They got off to a pretty quick start. We
knew that [with] both these guys their
biggest strength was the return of serve and
they returned extraordinarily well,” Hewitt
would later reflect.
Hanley adding: “Lleyton’s a fighter and I
just said to Lleyton after the second set
`look just hang in there’ and I knew he
would and [that] my game would get a little
better.”
The Australians finally gained a break,
on Wang’s serve, in the third game of the
third set. Hewitt, who didn’t drop serve for
the entire match, iced the set with a
clever, curving backhand volley –a
blood-curdling “c’mon’’ from the Australian
number one signalling they were well and
truly ready to go the distance.
Hewitt rifled a brilliant forehand winner
to secure a break in the first game of the
fourth and the Australians, having again
lifted, raced away with the last two sets.
“They started really well and put us
under a lot of pressure early. We were put
to the test today,” Hanley said.
Hewitt concurred. “I thought it was a
pretty high standard of doubles out there
today … We had to do it the hard way, it was
more a mental battle in the end for us to
come through and win in five sets,” he said.
“Neither of us have come back from two sets
to love down in doubles before.”
Optus Australian Davis Cup captain John
Fitzgerald said any decision on a change in
line-up for the reverse singles dead rubbers
would wait until tomorrow morning.
“It’s never easy to win Davis Cup
matches. When you play away from home it’s
difficult. They were quality opposition,
good players, we’re happy. We’re going to
celebrate a little tonight and enjoy the
win.” |
|
February 8
Day 1 Davis Cup v Chinese Taipei
R1 - Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d Ti Chen (TPE) 6-4 6-0 6-3
R2 - Chris Guccione (AUS) d Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) 7-6(5) 6-4 7-6(9)
February 7
Lleyton Hewitt will lead Australia into
battle in the Davis Cup play-off against Taiwan this weekend after being
drawn to play the opening match tomorrow.
Hewitt will meet Taiwanese No.2 Ti Chen,
who is ranked a lowly 270th in the world, in the first singles rubber at
Kaohsiung's Yang-Ming Tennis Centre.
Chris Guccione will then take on Taiwan
No.1 Yen-Hsun Lu, who is ranked 24 places below Guccione at No.108 in the
world.
Australian captain John Fitzgerald has
named Hewitt and Paul Hanley as his pairing for Saturday's doubles against
Lu and Yeu-Tzuoo Wang.
Australia are bidding to regain their
place in the elite 16-nation World Group and must beat Taiwan to advance to
a second-round Asia-Oceania play-off against either Thailand or Kazakhstan
in Townsville in April.
February 5
A REFRESHED Lleyton Hewitt hit the Taiwanese
courts for the first time on Monday as he seeks to lead Australia out of the
wilderness in this weekend's Davis Cup tie against Taiwan.
The Australian No.1 and Chris Guccione, who is almost certain to claim the other
singles berth, arrived in Kaohsiung on Sunday night to join doubles specialist
Paul Hanley and likely reserves Alun Jones and Joe Sirianni for the Asia-Oceania
group tie.
While Hewitt's presence should ensure Australia wins through to the next round
in the secondary group as it seeks to rejoin the world's elite fighting for the
Davis Cup next year, captain John Fitzgerald is mindful of avoiding the fate of
the nation's Fed Cup side in Bangkok last week.While Australia is favoured to
defeat Taiwan, it is solely because of Hewitt, the world No.22.
Although he was written off by some critics after failing to reach the
semi-finals of an event during the Australian summer, a closer examination of
Hewitt's results suggests he is not far from reaching peak form.
After two easy wins in Adelaide, he was thumped by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, hardly a
disgrace, given the Frenchman's romp to the final of the Australian Open in
Melbourne.
He was unable to break Guccione, who was at the peak of his serving game, losing
in two tiebreak sets in Sydney, then ran into Australian Open winner Novak
Djokovic in the fourth round in Melbourne. He should have won the first set
despite his hopes being compromised by an all-night affair against Marcos
Baghdatis a round earlier.
But the Taiwan side, led by world No.108 Yen-Hsun Lu, stacks up competitively
against the rest of the Australian side, particularly on hard-courts, the
surface for the tie beginning on Friday.
Lu, 24, enters the tie in reasonable form.
He followed a five-set loss in the first round of the Australian Open with a
secondary-circuit tournament win in Waikoloa, Hawaii, where he thrashed veteran
American Vince Spadea in the final.
He also boasts a win over Guccione, having toppled the Australian 7-6 6-3 in the
first round of a challenger event in Memphis last year.
Yeu-Tzuoo (Jimmy) Wang, a former Australian Open and US Open junior finalist,
has not played a tournament this year but pushed Sydney International winner
Dmitry Tursunov to three sets in the quarter-finals of a tour event in Bangkok
in September.
Guccione posted an early blow for the Australians in the quarter-finals of a
challenger event in Guangzhou, China last week by defeating Taiwan's No.3 Ti
Chen in three sets.
However the world No.86 was unable to justify his top seeding for the event by
bowing out in the semi-finals.
February 4
Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald says his team must respect its
opposition as it attempts to climb out of the Davis Cup wilderness.
Australia has travelled to Taiwan for this weekend's crucial first-round
meeting of the Asia-Oceania group tie.
The two teams square off on Friday at Yang Ming Tennis Court in Khaosiung
with the winner keeping alive its chances of returning to the World Group.
"We have respect for the Chinese Taipei players," Fitzgerald told media in
Khaosiung.
"We have watched them in Australia, we have watched them the last three or
four years, they are good players. We have had to bring our best team here to
compete."
Australia's No.1 player Lleyton Hewitt said he was feeling fit after being
bundled out of January's Australian Open by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
"I know all of our team will be ready to go come Friday," Hewitt said.
He will look to boost an already imposing Davis Cup record that includes the
most singles wins (30) in Australian history.
"It's good to be here, it's always good to be playing for your country,"
Hewitt added.
"We have such a rich tradition in Davis Cup so for us we're proud to be
playing."
Compatriot, big-serving world No.86 Chris Guccione, is keen to build on a
busy summer.
"I've played a lot of matches and I'm feeling pretty good at the moment with
the way I'm hitting the ball," Guccione said.
Taiwan is likely to be headed up by world No.108 Yen-Hsun Lu who impressed in
this year's Hopman Cup and recently won a Challenger event in Hawaii.
He has been ranked as high as 80 and beat Guccione in Memphis early in 2007.
The other singles berth is expected to go to Yeu-Tzuoo Wang, currently 147 in
the world
January 23
Optus Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald today announced the
five-man squad which will take on Chinese Taipei in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas
Asia/Oceania first round tie next month.The tie will be played on hard court in
Kaohsiung from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 February.
Australia’s number one player Lleyton Hewitt (world No.22) leads up the squad
which also includes Chris Guccione (91), Alun Jones (137), doubles specialist
Paul Hanley (10 in doubles) and Joseph Sirianni (146), who has been rewarded for
his great form this summer.
Darren Cahill has been reappointed as Optus Australian Davis Cup coach.
“We have picked the team we think is best placed to beat Chinese Taipei on
their outdoor hard court,” Fitzgerald said today. “We know that they have some
good players in the Chinese Taipei squad. They are a dangerous opponent and we
will need to play well to win this tie. “But I am confident we have the form and
the players to win. We are all very determined to use this tie to begin our
climb back into the World Group.”
Fitzgerald was full of praise for the efforts of his players this summer.
“Lleyton has played some sensational tennis here at Melbourne Park. Chris
Guccione is in good form and had a great tournament in Sydney. Alun Jones has
had some impressive results, Paul Hanley is one of the top players in the world
and Joe Sirianni is in the best form of his life.”
Optus Australian Davis Cup squad:
Lleyton Hewitt
Chris Guccione
Alun Jones
Paul Hanley
Joseph Sirianni
January 21
Third seed Novak Djokovic held off Lleyton Hewitt and a pro-Australian crowd
to advance to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a straight-sets
victory on Rod Laver Arena.
The 20-year-old Serb overcame a lacklustre
start before overpowering the local favourite 7-5 6-3 6-3.
Djokovic will now meet fifth seed David Ferrer, who defeated Spanish
compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-1.
Coming off an exhausting five-set marathon against Marcos Baghdatis that
ended at 4.34am on Sunday morning, Hewitt showed no signs of tiredness as he
broke Djokovic early in the first set to take a 4-2 lead.
But wasted opportunities on Djokovic's serve in the seventh game - Hewitt
held two break points - allowed the Serb back in the contest.
Serving to stay in the set at 5-6, the Australian had a poor service game
to hand Djokovic the set in exactly an hour.
Hewitt broke Djokovic again early in the second set but gave it straight
back in the next game as the Serb started to find his range from the back of
the court.
The world No.3 broke Hewitt once more in the sixth game before holding
his nerve to close out the set 6-3.
The third set was a mere formality with Djokovic looking more comfortable
as the match progressed, easing to victory in almost two-and-a-half hours.
January 19
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, the whispers around Melbourne Park,
around Australia, around the tennis world was that nothing would stop
Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis facing off on Rod Laver Arena on
Saturday night, even if it meant playing into much of Sunday morning.
The
marquee match-up of the tournament to date would be played at an hour where
most players would be tucked up in bed. But Hewitt, the most pugnacious of
players who has always likened himself to Rocky Balboa, wasn't about to miss
his chance to create his own legend. Baghdatis, always the life of the
party, must have also sensed that something special was about to be created.
Boxing, the sport from which Hewitt draws a fair bit of his inspiration,
is known for its ridiculous timeslots. Television demands have meant fights
outside of the American time zones have had to be held in the middle of the
night. Ricky Hatton, the hero of Manchester, was once asked what it would be
like fighting at 2am in the morning in England. "Doesn't bother me," he
quipped. "Everyone fights at 2am in the morning in Manchester."
Well, everybody doesn't play tennis at 2am in Melbourne, but there is a
sense during this magical fortnight in this extraordinary sporting city,
that anything goes. There was supposed to be an 11pm curfew on new matches,
but on a Saturday night in January in Melbourne, that was never going to be
obeyed.
After all, Australia watches most of its tennis in the middle of the
night throughout the year. The tennis fans among us push the envelope to
stay up and watch Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and set the alarm nice and
early to see what's happening at Flushing Meadows. Whether the fans are in
the stands on Rod Laver Arena, at home on the couch, or watching on a silent
screen at a pub, this was an opportunity not to be missed. Sunday was meant
to be a day of rest anyway.
So those in the stands settled in, those on the couch popped on the
kettle for the first of many times for the night and those in the bar
ordered another round.
And out walked the two warriors. There was no 'Eye of the Tiger' or the
theme from Rocky, but it wouldn't have been out of place. Either would a
ring announcer yelling 'Let's Get Ready to RRRRRumble'. (Craig Willis would
have done an excellent job in between his stints on AO Radio) It was
apparent from the first powerful forehand that this was not going to be a
sprint, it was going to be a marathon.
The pair exchanged blows, Baghdatis landing the first set, Hewitt the
second. Then drama. Baghdatis rolls his ankle and is in pain. The first
knock down, but surely it can't end like this? The tennis world holds it
breath. The brave Cypriot is given his equivalent of smelling salts (a spray
on his ankle during his medical timeout) and he is resurrected. Dry of
throat, a nation switches its kettles back on and the barmen suddenly find
themselves busy again. Down in the AO radio bunker, the complimentary Evian
does its job. Those in the stands catch a glance at their watches, it's past
2am. Hewitt wins the round.
Hewitt has it all over his opponent in the fourth set. He is ready to
land the knockout blow, but can't find a way to end it. The Cypriot refuses
to offer a white towel. He stays on his feet, a little unsteady, and his
opponent seems to will himself away from the win. We're going the distance.
Hewitt rediscovers his killer instinct and puts his opponent under
pressure. Finally he nails it and seals it in the fifth. The two warriors
embrace, the rest of us stretch and blink and look at the clock. It's
4:34am.
January 17
LLEYTON Hewitt's career is a monument to mind conquering man's
vulnerabilities. Perennial predictions of his decline and fall always
centred on what he didn't have: size, power and the capacity to win quick,
easy points.
More than his return of serve or court speed, the Hewitt mind
was what made him. Yesterday, as he eked out an unimpressive, four-set
victory over the world No. 216, Uzbekistani Denis Istomin, it seemed that,
strangely, the Hewitt mind was not at full-strength.
That's not to say it was suspect. Hewitt is congenitally incapable of
flakiness of the kind that afflicted Mark Philippoussis. The difference
between Hewitt Heavy and Lleyton Light, in terms of mental strength, is
subtle. Some indecision and caution, where once there was strident
self-belief. One shakey shot per game, perhaps.
One detected a touch of anxiety, here and there — what tennis types call
"tightening up".
If we can't read a player's mind, one can see signs of vulnerability, or
volatility. Unusually, Hewitt showed more of the former than the latter.
Seemingly lacking confidence and flow, Hewitt played with excessive
caution, like a footballer in his first few games after a knee
reconstruction. He wasn't sharp. His concentration wandered.
This should not surprise. Injuries restricted Hewitt to only 51 matches
last year; in 2001, as the world No. 1, he played 98. He is fit, not match
hardened. He excelled in his first match, struggled yesterday; consistency —
another Hewitt hallmark — is not yet evident.
Yesterday's performance was more defensive, less offensive, than the
aggressive game style Tony Roche promised when the famed Australian coach
took over the Hewitt reclamation project last August. Hewitt's worst
moments, especially in the third set, were marked by a safety-first
approach.
His conservatism emboldened Istomin, who, judged by rankings and record,
played much closer to his peak than Hewitt.
Hewitt's best and most attacking tennis came late, in the fourth set,
after the insult of conceding a set to the world's 216th player. He can only
hope that he begins his next match as he finished the last; otherwise it
will be his last at this Open.
Afterwards, Hewitt played the media as he does all opponents — not
conceding on any points. He did not think he'd played so bad and was
generous in his assessment of Istomin, who played "a pretty good match".
Istomin was a veritable menacing Denis.
Hewitt was not self-critical. He had "played pretty well" in that first
set, which went to a tie break (in which the eventual score was 7-5). "I
just wasn't quite reading where he was going."
Hewitt would not even allow that he would need to improve significantly
to progress, given the step up in class. "It's a different kind of match.
You know, I know that I can compete against both of those guys at my best."
The most he would acknowledge, on the negative side of the ledger, was
that he had "a couple of lapses in concentration" late in the third set. But
these lapses were "only a couple of points" and were not caused by his
limited match play in 2007.
His confidence, he said, was not at all diminished by what happened
yesterday. "I feel confident. Yeah, I'm through to the third round. It's a
matter of surviving the first week as much as possible. I'm getting there so
far."
"Surviving" is the revealing word. It carried a recognition that
difficulties lay ahead, and perhaps, that, from here on, the draw is
challenging.
"I feel good. This is where the tournament starts now," he told centre
court.
Or where it ends. Not for the first or last time in the career of Lleyton
Hewitt, the betting is against him.
January 15
Crowd favourite Lleyton Hewitt has made a winning start to his bid for an
elusive Australian Open crown, crushing Belgium's Steve Darcis in straight
sets.
Hewitt needed only 77 minutes to overcome the outclassed Darcis 6-0
6-3 6-0 before an appreciative centre court crowd.
The Australian broke Darcis at will to suggest his game has come together
after two scratchy performances in lead-up tournaments.
The emphatic win sets up a second round meeting with Uzbekistan's Denis
Istomin.
Hewitt, in his 12th Australian Open campaign, has admitted he is running
out of time to win his national championship.
The 26-year-old, who reached the 2005 final, has re-designed his game
under new coach Tony Roche and is confident of challenging for the title
despite his world ranking slipping to 21.
January 11
Lleyton Hewitt has been placed on the same side of the draw as
world number one and defending champion Roger Federer for the Australian Open,
which gets underway at Melbourne Park on Monday.
Federer starts his campaign for a fourth title against little-known
Argentinan Diego Hartfield, while Hewitt's opening match is against Belgium's
Steve Darcis.
Hewitt is likely to meet either former champion Marat Safin or 2006 finalist
Marcos Baghdatis in the third round, while world number three Novak Djokovic
would be his likely fourth round oponent.
"The segment of the draw that Lleyton's in is a significant one with the
likes of Baghdatis and Safin in there," tournament director Craig Tiley said.
"That's a tough segment of the draw."
Hewitt has been seeded 19th and shapes as Australia's only realistic hope in
the men's draw, should he play to his ability.
January 9
Number six seed Lleyton Hewitt has been dumped out of the
Sydney International by rising star Chris Guccione in a fiery match on Wednesday
afternoon.
Hewitt pushed his countryman to tie-breaks in both sets but the big serves of
Guccione were too much for Hewitt, who lost the second-round match 7-6, 7-6.
There was plenty of passion from the former Sydney champion, who had a series
of arguments with the chair umpire over line calls.
The final flare-up came at 2-3 in the final tie-break when he was incensed
that Guccione was allowed to win a point that he was convinced had bounced
twice.
Guccione told Channel Seven he is delighted to win against the Australian
number one.
"It's nice to beat Lleyton he's one of the top players in the world," he
said.
"I seem to love it out here. I've been in the second round here a few times
and never been to the quarters.
"Hopefully I can play well tomorrow."
January 8
LLEYTON HEWITT is no longer a reluctant volleyer
under the influence of coach Tony Roche.
Coach Roche is attempting to add more aggression
and variety to Lleyton Hewitt's regular counter-punching style.
The 26-year-old winner of two Grand Slam titles revealed another side to
his game when he dashed to the net to set up his first match point in Sydney
yesterday.
Coach Roche is attempting to add more aggression and variety to Hewitt's
regular counter-punching style and while it isn't coming easily to the
former world No1, he was encouraged by his execution of the volley under
fire.
He went on to beat 45th-ranked Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-3 6-4 to move
into the second round, where he will face big-serving fellow Australian
Chris Guccione today.
That match will provide a further challenge for Hewitt's game, subtly
reshaped by Roche in the past three months.
Hewitt said his aim was to get to the net "when I get some
opportunities".
"It's not my natural game, but it's to mix it up and put some pressure on
him," Hewitt said later.
"He came up with a pretty good pass and I was able to hit a real good
volley to win that point.
"I guess in the past I've always been more of a counter-puncher, so
you've still got to be able to take that from the practice court onto the
match court and pick the right balls to do it. I'm definitely getting more
comfortable."
Australia's old players' union has long tried to convince Hewitt, who has
proven to be an excellent volleyer the few times he does go to the net, to
employ the stroke strategically. Roche has seemingly coaxed him to the net.
Hewitt was in command for most of the match against the erratic Mahut,
who served 13 double-faults. The South Australian only lost his grip for a
few games early in the second set.
Hewitt confessed to subconsciously backing off once he felt he had his
opponent on the ropes at the end of the first set.
"I just lost concentration a little bit. He seemed to be struggling with
an injury for a couple of games and then he seemed fine," Hewitt said.
The former world No1 is a calmer, more considered athlete these days but
his street fighting instincts still lurk close to the surface when he's in a
tight spot.
At 4-4 and 30-15 in the second set as he was battling to retain his
serve, Hewitt reacted when a lineswoman failed to call a ball out that had
landed at his feet near the baseline. He erupted and complained heatedly to
umpire Norm Chryst.
However, he composed himself to win the game, raising his eyes and hands
to the heavens in praise when another close line call went in his favour.
But he still shook his racquet at the offending lineswoman as he walked to
his chair.
From there, it was plain sailing for the sixth seed to close out the
match.
He is looking forward to playing Guccione, the first time the two
Australians have met in tournament play.
"I've played Wayne Arthurs a few times. It's pretty similar to that
match-up, so I'm obviously going to have to return well and make him play a
lot of balls," Hewitt said.
Guccione vowed to "go out there swinging".
"It will be good, Aussie versus Aussie ... someone in the quarters at
least," Guccione said.
"He's one of the best returners in the world so I will have to serve
really well. I'll have to play better than today but if I play well I think
I've got the game to trouble most guys in the world."
The 2.01m tall Guccione served 18 aces in two sets to despatch Alberto
Martin (ranked 138) 7-6 6-4 yesterday.
Hewitt and 'Gooch' are the last remaining Australians in the singles draw
after Joe Sirianni and Alun Jones went out in straight sets yesterday.
If Hewitt reaches the semi-finals he won't have to face second-seeded
Spaniard Tommy Robredo as he was upset by Czech Radek Stepanek (6-4 6-2).
The other side of the draw lost seventh-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri
Mathieu, who retired in the second set against Russia's Evgeny Korolev.
January 5
IF Lleyton Hewitt was looking for some relief after
his straight-sets pummeling at the Adelaide International,
he certainly didn't get it at Saturday's draw for the Sydney
International.His head still spinning from his
6-4 6-2 quarter-final loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Hewitt was
thrust into an ugly first-round tussle with another
big-serving Frenchman.
The four-time Sydney champion will meet 2007 Queen's Club
finalist Nicolas Mahut, who, like countryman Tsonga, is a
power server boasting a career-high ranking.
Mahut sits two places below Tsonga at No.45 in the world
after a breakthrough season in which he also reached the
final in Newport and broke into the top 50 for the first
time.
Should Hewitt survive his testing opener, he is likely to
run into yet another mighty server in Davis Cup teammate
Chris Guccione, who has drawn a qualifier first-up.
Like Hewitt, Australian No.2 Peter Luczak also faces a
Frenchman in the first round after drawing former Australian
Open semi-finalist Sebastien Grosjean.
Australian surprise packet Joe Siriani, a semi-finalist in
Adelaide this week having only ever won one match previously
on the ATP Tour, will meet a qualifier in the opening round
on his Sydney debut.
Alicia Molik, returning to Sydney for the first time since
snaring the title in 2005, will square off with world No.23
Lucie Safarova for the second time in a week.
Molik outclassed the Czech left-hander in straight sets at
the Hopman Cup in Perth and a repeat success would ensure a
second-round date with world No.1 Justine Henin, one of the
four top seeds with an opening bye.
Australian Nicole Pratt, in her 20th and almost certainly
last season on the WTA Tour, has drawn Frenchwoman Virginie
Razzano.
The $1.24 million tournament gets underway Sunday.
January 4
Lleyton Hewitt's Australian Open preparations suffered a blow when he was
beaten in the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International.
Hewitt, the top seed, lost 6-4 6-2 to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who
served 14 aces on his way to victory.
"It's frustrating but I've got to look ahead," said the Australian.
"I still feel like I can play a lot better than that. I felt like I had a lot
of chances out there but I didn't serve well on the big points."
World number 43 Tsonga beat Hewitt in their only previous meeting, at Queen's
Club last June, and once the Frenchman had taken the first set and broken to
lead 3-1 in the second, he was well in control.
Tsonga now plays Finn Jarkko Nieminen, who needed two hours and 46 minutes to
get past American Vince Spadea 7-6 6-7 7-6.
The other semi-final will be between Australian wildcard Joe Sirianni and
unseeded Frenchman Michael Llodra.
January 3
REVENGE was sweet for Lleyton Hewitt when he steamrolled Argentine
Jose Acasuso tonight in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Acasuso was the only person to beat Hewitt in five sets in the past four years
at the 2006 Davis Cup - but Hewitt wasn't about to let his nose be rubbed in his
defeat. Instead, he replied with a fiesty on-court attitude and an easy victory.
"I owed that to him, and it was nice to do it in front of my home time crowd,"
he said with a sly smile after the match.
It was another fine display of Hewitt's improved physical form with the local
hero comfortably running from one side of the court to the other to return most
tricks the South American threw at him.
Hewitt is now two games off a final berth, coming up against the winner of the
clash between Latvia's Ernests Gulbis and sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)
tomorrow.
Everything worked in the top seed's favour last night. Acasuso started the game
with a fault, setting off a domino-effect of errors throughout the two sets. He
served four double faults during the game and was easily frustrated in the first
set kicking a ball from the court during the third game. The Australian was
undefeated in the first four games, and held serve for the match demonstrating
his tight focus that will carry him comfortably through to the Australian Open.
"It felt like I was agressive at the start which was good, and put a bit of
doubt in his mind."
Although he looked at ease on court, Hewitt's statistics tell a slightly
different story, getting only 32 per cent of first serves in overall. Yet that
was more than enough to push Hewitt through to the quarter finals.
"I played pretty well in all I think. Maybe my serving in patches was a
little bit off, but I didn't drop my serve for the match so I can't be that
disappointed.
"It's a step in the right direction.
"Everyone expects you to go out there and win, and I've stepped up to the
plate and won convincingly both times."
Punters would be forgiven for underestimating Acasuso. With a ranking of 65
versus Hewitt's 21, the Argentinian excelled this year making his ninth ATP
final and two other quarter final appearances. However nothing could stop him
from being annihalated by Tony Roche's latest prodigy last night.
"There are not many things that are good enough for Rochey on the court I
think, so we're working on it the whole time.
"Every minute that we're on the practice court there's a reason why we're out
there and that's been the biggest change I think and I've really enjoyed it."
Off-court physical training is paying dividends for Hewitt. After beating
Israeli Dudi Sela in the first round 6-2, 6-2, Adelaide's own looked refreshed
and ready to leap after any ball. His agility and flexibility were noticeably
improved, giving Hewitt the depth required to return to the top 10 of the world.
"I've tried to mix it up a lot with speed, agility, boxing and a lot of
running," he said.
January 2
LLEYTON HEWITT'S quest to be more unpredictable began predictably.
The
South Australian took just 66 minutes to dismantle unheralded Israeli Dudi
Sela 6-2, 6-2 in a first-round fixture at the Adelaide International.
Hewitt's comprehensive triumph was the perfect start to a new year in which
the 26-year-old has resolved to become more unpredictable on court, refining
his approach with new mentor Tony Roche. Hewitt spoke pre-tournament of
wanting to tinker with his tactics in a bid to grasp his holy grail, the
Australian Open, later this month.
But in last night's performance before an adoring home crowd at Memorial
Drive, it was hard to discern any real difference - the match was over so
quickly. The thrashing was distinguished by typical Hewitt traits: pressure
and precision.
Hewitt's severe treatment of Sela's faltering service overwhelmed the
22-year-old Israeli, who lost the initial four games of each set in sliding
to an inevitable loss. Hewitt also served seven aces and won 90 per cent of
his first-serve points in a polished display in his first tournament match
in almost three months.
"It was perfect," Hewitt said. "I got off to a good start and played
pretty aggressively."
Hewitt said the wily Roche offered measured praise for his near-faultless
performance.
"He said, 'Well done', he doesn't go over the top too much," Hewitt said
of his new coach. "It's a first-round match, so I have started the new year
well. I think he was pretty happy with the way that I played. I felt pretty
good with everything I am working on at the moment.
"I definitely still worked on areas of my game out there that I wanted to
try and keep doing and take from the practice court onto the match court,
and I felt like I was able to do that somewhat."