Hewitt to meet Ferreira in the final  4 November 2000 Tennis Masters Series Stuttgart

Lleyton Hewitt and Wayne Ferreira are the Stuttgart finalists. On Saturday,
the Hewitt defeated Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, and Ferreira ended
Sebastien Grosjean's run with a 6-4, 6-2 win.

The match between Hewitt and Kafelnikov was dominated by long baseline
ralleys, both players waiting patiently for the right moment to attack.
Hewitt mostly tried to hit forehand winners from he service line, whereas
Kafelnikov went to the net to finish the point with a volley.

Hewitt had an early advantage and won the first set 6-4. Kafelnikov, however,
determined to keep his hopes of winning his first ever Tennis Masters Series
title alive, fought back, breaking Hewitt early in the second set to take a
3-0 lead. Hewitt broke back, saved three set points at 4-5 and forced the set
into a tie-break. Leading 5-4, Kafelnikov scored a net cord point, and he
finally converted his fifth set point.

Both players held serve in the third set, Kafelnikov saving one break point
at 2-3. At 3-4, the Russian doublefaulted to give Hewitt a 5-3 lead. The
Australian easily won his last service game, converting the first match point
after 2:04 hours with his seventh ace.

"It just got better and better," Hewitt said about one of the best weeks of
his career.

Hewitt will have to play his best tennis to defeat an in-form Wayne Ferreira
and claim the first Tennis Masters Series title of his career. The immensely
gifted, but erratic South African played up to his potential. He served well,
dominated baseline ralleys with his trademark forehand and attacked whenever
possible.

After a sluggish start - Grosjean led 3-1 - Ferreira found his rhythm and won
five consecutive games. He continued to dominate, though he failed to convert
four match points at 5-1. After only 1:04 hours, he converted his fifth match
point to reach his first final of the year.

"It' nice. I've had a great week," Ferreira said. "The way I've played this
week I deserve to be in the final. I am very happy." Ferreira's last
tournament win dates back to 1996: Back then, he won the title in Toronto.

Hewitt and Ferreira have never played each other before. Their contrasting
styles and the age difference - Hewitt is 19, Ferreira 29 - should make it an
interesting match. "I am really excited to get the chance to play him,"
Ferreira said.

Whoever wins the title, one thing is for sure: For the first time, the
champion will not be a European.

END
Hewitt and Ferreira though to final 
 
11/04/00
Stuttgart semifinals
Yevgeny Kafelnikov vs Lleyton Hewitt:
The first semifinal match was a battle of the baseliners as both the Russian
No. 6 seed and the Australian No. 8 seed cautiously sounded each other out.
Neither players were willing to come to the net often throughout the match,
both knowing their opponents strong passing abilities. 

Hewitt's youth plays its part 
It was the young "New Balls Please" player Hewitt, however, who patiently
waiting for his opponent to make the errors, which their were few of,
squeezing out the first break of serve. This was in the fifth game and he
went on to take the set 6-4.

In a cat and mouse game with each player waiting for his opportunity to close
the other down, some long baseline rallies resulted in a battle of who could
make the least unforced errors. Hewitt said of the match, "I just tried to
play my game. That's what really got me back in the second set. I felt like I
really took it up to him."

It certainly worked. The Australian known on the circuit for having a lot of
grit and determination, looked like a mature player beyond his nineteen
years. On the other hand Kafelnikov's tiredness was evident and even though
the spirited Russian fought hard, the ball just kept coming back deep into
the court, giving him little chance of advancing to the net to close anything
down. After the match an exhausted Kafelnikov commented, "In the end, the age
played a big thing. I felt like I couldn't go along more because I was so
tired from the matches I have played the last two weeks."

This seemed to say it all and in the third Hewitt kept up the pressure,
served some crippling aces and kept his opponent working hard. He took the
match 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.

The second semifinal was more one sided. Wayne Ferreira was too solid for
Sebastien Grosjean who was unable to deal with the South African's very good
allround game. His serve and groundstrokes were hit deep with heavy topspin.
The Frenchman at times looked off balance and could not sustain a consistant
level of tennis. His advances to the net were only taken as opportunities for
him to be past.

Ferreira won the match 6-4, 6-2 and now goes into his first Stuttgart final,
a match played between two non-European's for the first time in the
tournaments history.

He will now go onto play Wayne Ferreira in the final, The two have not met
before. 

END--www.atptour.com/magazine/


Hewitt and Ferreira to meet on Sunday 
 
11/04/00
By Richard Evans
Lleyton Hewitt will take some stopping now. The Australian teenager all but
booked his place in the eight man Masters Cup field for Lisbon with a
shrewdly constructed 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 victory over the Olympic champion Yevgeny
Kafelnikov to reach the first Tennis Masters Series final of his career.
 
"I've done well on all surfaces this year" 
Only if Thomas Enqvist and Alex Corretja both make the final of the Paris
Open will Hewitt's chances of qualifying for the year end bonanza be put
under threat. And that's just the way Hewitt planned it. "The way I set my
schedule is that I was going to make the finals in Lisbon," he said after his
victory. "I knew that the Davis Cup was going to be on clay against Spain. I
knew the final was going to be the following week. There's nothing I can do
about it. But I feel I'm a little bit different in that I don't need a lot of
practise on a particular surface because I've done well on all surfaces this
year."

No question about that. Hewitt has been a consistent member of the top ten in
the Champions Race ever since the start of 2000 and he showed why in the way
that he ground down Kafelnikov's resistance in a match that was not
spectacular but full of thoughtful tennis.

"Perhaps we had too much respect for each other's game," said the Russian.
"We were both waiting for the right moment to come in because we know that
each of us can pass pretty well."

Kafelnikov did well to fight back and win the second set tie break 7-5 but
Hewitt knew he was fresher than his opponent, who has been playing doubles as
well this week, and started to attack the Russian's backhand to greater
effect in the third set which he dominated throughout.

It has been a long time since Wayne Ferreira was in th final of a big event -
in fact not since he won the Canadian Open in 1996 has he done this well. And
despite a slow start against Sebastian Grosjean (Photo) which allowed the
Frenchman to take a 3-1 first set lead, Ferreira was soon in charge, hitting
cleanly from the back court and pressuring Grosjean with the accuracy of his
serve. Ferreira was never in trouble again and won 6-4, 6-2.

The 29-year-old South African has never played Hewitt but is relishing the
opportunity. "I am really excited about getting the chance to play him," said
Ferreira afterwards. "I think I will have to be aggressive, especially on the
serve and try to punish the second serve a lot. I think it's important for me
to try and overpower him. That might be a good key to winning the match.   

END--www.atptour.com/magazine

Hewitt beats the Brits 3 November 2000 Tennis Masters Series Stuttgart

One day after ousting Tim Henman, Lleyton Hewitt has ended Greg Rusedski's
impressive run in Stuttgart with a straight 6-4, 6-4 win to advance to the
semis.

Hewitt was confident, steady and as quick-footed as fans all over the world
know him. Rusedski did not serve as well and his slice backhand, a strong
weapon against Marat Safin, was less effective. Hewitt produced a series of
enormously precise passing shots, making it dangerous for Rusedski to rush to
the net.

One break in each set was enough for Hewitt to win the match., as he was
never in danger on his own serve, not allowing his opponent a single break
point. "I think I actually served more aces than Greg, which is not that
common for a lot of players," a pleased Hewitt said afterwards. "I am pretty
happy with that."

Rusedski was impressed with his opponent's performance: "He played very
well," he said, denying any problems with his own back. "The body feels good.
I didn't serve as well as I could. If you don't serve the corners well and
put enough first serves, you're going to be in a lot of trouble with him."

Hewitt will now play the only other seeded player left, Russia's Yevgeny
Kafelnikov, who defeated Sjeng Schalken 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. They have met four
times so far, Hewitt winning three of the matches, including the only one
indoors in Paris last year. Kafelnikov, however, was very confident after his
win over Sjeng Schalken and is highly motivated: He has never won a Tennis
Masters Series title. Neither has Hewitt.

Lleyton Hewitt - He’s a rough diamond. Tennis August 2000 (The Netherlands)

Accompanying pictures

Anyone who’s trying to get in the right mood before an important match, should try a Rocky-movie. Sylvester Stallone, who as a boxer hits all his opponents off the ring, is capable of raising the adrenaline considerably. Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt thinks this is the best way to do it. No-one on the circuit can play tennis as aggressively as this feather-light young man. And his outstanding aggressive-ness is not his only weapon.He shouts a lot, clenches his fist after every winner and groans at almost every stroke. He looks around suspiciously, is fidgeting his clothes continuously, and runs for every ball. Even when he’s in the lead, he never relaxes. During the Australian Open this year, he humiliated former world champion Alex Corretja, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1. No smiles by the winner, he regretted that one lost game. He is a fury on the court. Come on, Rock! he yells at times. Then the tormented fighter within is encouraged to hit another direct winner.

Sensation

The nineteen year old Adelaide native is THE sensation of the last two years. He won six tournaments and has given his home country nine important points in the Davis Cup. In 1999 Hewitt was a protagonist in Australia’s victory and this year as well he has qualified, with his "mates", for the big final. In 1997 he made his debut, as a fifteen year old, in the professional circuit, quickly skipping Futures and Challengers. He chose the qualification matches that precede the real ATP tournaments and therefore could hit a lot with the big guys. In 1998 Hewitt won his first tournament in his native city of Adelaide. In that year he jumped from #722 to #113 on the World Ranking List. At the end of last year his name was at #22.

In the spotlights

Because of the introduction of the new ranking list he was full in the spotlights at the beginning of this year. He won the first two tournaments of the new century and thus became the leader in the Champions Race. On that list, now, (half a year and two tournament wins later) he is still in the top ten.

Pleasant surprise

Pete Sampras called Hewitt a pleasant surprise. "We’ll have to keep an eye on him and on Marat Safin" says Pistol Pete. "It’s only a matter of time before they’ll win a Grand Slam." Speed is maybe the most important quality of the right handed counterpuncher. "He moves better than anyone on the circuit", says Sampras, "and that is a big advantage, especially on grass" says the man who won thirteen Grand Slams. "Bjorn Borg was just as agile and could therefore win Wimbledon four times."

Whipping forehand

Hewitt possesses a whipping forehand and a (for his length) reasonable serve. He hits most of his first serves in and produces few double faults. And yet it’s his serve that Hewitt thinks could be better still. His friend and patron Patrick Rafter opinates he could use some more cheap points in his energy consuming game. That advice led Hewitt to focus more on his serve. The young man from Adelaide has two characteristics that become any top sportsman: he is eager to learn and ready to practice without end.

Exceptional

Davis Cup coach Tony Roche is another famed advisor. "Lleyton can play well on whatever surface" says the legendary Australian. "I can see him make progress as well as on grass as on claycourt. He can be compared to Agassi. His returns are fantastic, his footwork is exceptional. But I see his sublime competitiveness as his strongest point." Much has been said about his extremely fanatic attitude on court. "I fear no-one and won’t step aside for anyone", says Hewitt, son of a former top player in the rough Australian rugby. The purists among the followers of the classy, decent game of tennis think this is proof of little respect for the opponent. After Hewitt’s formidable play in the Davis Cup tie against Russia, Patrick Smith, well known columnist of quality paper The Age, took it out on him. "This boy is a disgrace to Australian tennis" wrote the man, "he is a pumpkin, without the slightest hint of grace." This Mr. Smith is not the only one disturbed by this rising star’s attitude. Hewitt is very successful, but not particularly popular. Partly, it’s his own fault.

Stupid

In January he made a big mistake by calling his home crowd in Adelaide stupid. This was because they had not supported him enough during the annual tournament. Needless to say, there were many angry reactions. Then the youthful blab publicly offended the journalist who had written down his remarks. Only much later followed apologies for this verbal double fault.

Resentment

He wasn’t forgiven easily for this eruption. Apart from that, some resent his on court attitude. Hewitt’s name was on top of the list of most hated sportsmen in the magazine Inside Sport. Number three was Mike Tyson, number four was Martina Hingis. Hewitt doesn’t get it at all and doesn’t trust any journalist anymore. An event in February topped it all off. After a trip to Switzerland, Hewitt was accused of aggressive behaviour towards a stewardess in the Daily Telegraph. "That is absolutely not true," John Newcombe exclaimed immediately. "This is slander. And you are surprised he doesn’t want to give interviews anymore?" Newcombe views the cold war between Hewitt and the press with regret. "It reminds me of Pat Rafter in 1994 and 1995. He too got all paranoid by the press. Only later he learnt how to deal with these people. Look, Lleyton sees a match as a fight that he can win. But you can’t fight the media. No chance of a win there."

Expressive

"I hate him too" says recently retired Jim Courier when asked for his opinion on Hewitt. Then a broad smile: "Now I understand what people thought of me when I was a newcomer. I was also a bit more expressive, putting it mildly, than all the other tennis players." Inside the circuit, the young Australian has lots of admirers. Rafter calls him a great fellow with a big heart for his country. "He’s a great kid," concurs Tony Roche. "A true blue Australian with a lot of charisma. And top tennis could use some colour."

Mask

According to Suzi Petkowski, journalist with the magazine Australian Tennis, Hewitt should expose himself more off court. "As a tennis player he can sweat blood in order to win a match. But especially the older tennis fans cannot warm to his unfearing competitiveness. People want to know what’s behind that iron mask. But he’ll show more of himself in the years to come. And he has fans and friends in high places. People like Newcombe and Roche, not to mention his coach Darren Cahill. He was a top player once and he is not turned off by a negative mood that will change in due time."

Love

So, Lleyton Hewitt is appreciated. But the Belgian talent Kim Clijsters, seventeen year old daughter of a former soccer international, loves the blond brute. They recently started a relationship. During the Heineken Trophy, when Hewitt couldn’t play because of an injury, he stayed in Rosmalen for a few days to be near his girlfriend. Two weeks later they reached the final in the mixed doubles. So this rough diamond does have a soft spot. For sure, doubling with a lady is not something many a stout tennis player is getting himself in to. Willem Held

Hewitt facing a tough call  20 October 2000 by Linda Pearce SportsToday

Lleyton Hewitt is facing what could be one of the dilemmas of the summer:
whether to keep faith with his home-town event, the one that gave him his
start as a 15-year-old wildcard champion back in 1997, or bypass Adelaide in
favor of an extended Christmas break and save himself for tournaments in
Sydney and Melbourne.

This year, Hewitt played singles and doubles in both the Memorial Drive
championships and the International at Homebush Bay. He won both singles
titles to lead the ATP Tour's champions race in its first fortnight, but
arrived at the Australian Open having played almost constant tennis, and lost
to Magnus Norman in the fourth round.

Hence the delicacy of this summer's situation, with Hewitt's outstanding 2000
having dramatically increased his on-court workload. The end-of-year Masters
Cup in Lisbon and then the Davis Cup final in Barcelona from December 8-10
are both rewards for a fine year, but will eat into the teenager's brief
off-season.

``It should be a factor in his decision-making process,'' said Adelaide
tournament director Colin Stubs when asked whether Hewitt has an obligation
to his home-town supporters and the tournament that launched his senior
career.

``He's probably in the next couple of weeks got to do a bit of soul
searching, and thinking, in conjunction with Darren Cahill, his coach, as to
how to best get around this issue.''

Hewitt's management company, Octagon, will say only that Hewitt is committed
to the Sydney tournament, but that the rest of his program is not yet
finalised. Read Adelaide. And a big decision to be made by the end of next
month when entries close. The problem has been caused in part by Hewitt's
quicker-than-expected success, which has lifted him to No.6 in the world.
Stubs' solution is that the 19-year-old ignores doubles altogether, enters
Adelaide, keeps his options open for Sydney, and then if he needs more match
practice, asks for a wildcard.

``Lleyton must be starting to say to himself, `When am I going to get a
break?' He's young, so I don't imagine that physically he's feeling tired,
but he must be feeling the pinch a little bit mentally, because it's not as
though it comes easy to Lleyton, he's got to hit a lot of balls over the
net,'' Stubs said.

``So I guess he and Darren have to work out what is the best possible
scenario for Lleyton in terms of preparation for the Australian Open. He ran
out of gas at (this year's) Open, so he says, so clearly he's got to do
something different this time, and I don't know what his thinking is at this
point.''

HERE COME THE GLADIATORS Australian Tennis magazine Oct 2000

Move over Russell Crowe, the real gladiators of men’s tennis have arrived.

KIM TRENGOVE surveys an ever-expanding line-up of tennis hunks. (PS: Kim is a female). 

CLOSE your eyes and imagine the ultimate men’s tennis final. You could be watching for up to five hours, so the contestants had better be worth the effort. Sure, we can all appreciate the technical skill with which shots are executed: that elegant ball toss and smooth service action, the perfectly judged laser backhand down the line followed by a low-angled, cross-court slice forehand volley. Ah, another topspin and he scrambles to reach an impossible overhead smash...

But what does he look like? What is under that big, baggy shirt, and when is he going to get hot enough to remove it? Can we please get another close-up of that warrior-rugged, squared-jawed, perfectly-angled, olive-skinned face. He just smashed another racquet into the court, mangling it beyond recognition. Animal!
Men’s tennis has never been in better hands, or should I say legs, faces...torsos. For so long, the passionate tennis spectator has had to suffer the passionless maneuoverings of top players who had about as much charisma as a supermarket chain.

It seems cruel to name names, but as he didn’t turn up for the Wimbledon Parade of Champions last July, Ivan Lendl heads the list of past charisma-bypass champions. Jim Courier remains a fascinating personality in retirement, but he never made spectators salivate. Ditto Michael Stich, Petr Korda, Thomas Muster, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Kevin Curren, Michael Chang and the Big Man himself, Pete Sampras. Only Boris Becker truly possessed what the movie star moguls call Factor X: a mix of talent, sex appeal, intrigue, angst, pride, glamor, and chutzpah.

Then Pat Rafter emerged. A contemporary of Sampras’, nobody much appreciated the Queenslander’s mass appeal until he won the US Open for the first time in 1997. In women’s tennis, you don’t have to win titles to get on the cover of magazines so long as you are blonde, extremely well-proportioned and feel comfortable making bra ads. But male players can’t get by on model looks alone.

“I definitely wouldn’t say I was good looking,” Rafter told Britain’s Ace Tennis Magazine this year. “I’m just normal. The sex symbol thing all comes along with succeeding. I don’t think it matters what you look like. It’s success that is the attractive thing. It’s because of what I’ve done and because of my personality that the girls love me, I suppose. You see a lot of good-looking women with ordinary people like me and you wonder why. Then you realise he’s done this or that, and that’s what attracts people.”

Hicham Arazi is a sassy, crowd-loving and talented player from Morocco ranked 41 in the world (on the old entry points system). Imagine if he’d won 10 Grand Slam titles instead of his lone ATP Tour championship in Casablanca? The man would be flashing his brilliant, let’s-party smile on every glossy from here to Monte Carlo.
Instead, we’ve had to pretend that Andre Agassi is sort of sexy on account of his six Grand Slams, up and down career, quick-step schoolboy walk, and love match with the sort of sexy women’s Grand Slammer, Steffi Graf. Agassi is a fascinating personality, no doubt about it, and he gives the best interviews. But sexy?
Behind the scenes at the ATP HQ they know what sexy is and have decided to push the envelope, inspired by the marketing success of women celebrity players, Venus, Serena, Anna and Mary. We call them by their surnames when we talk tennis, but when we think “lust or disgust”, only a Christian name will suffice.

The curiously titled “New Balls Please” campaign has thrust a new cast of talented, hungry, mostly good-looking tennis pros of between 18 and 23 into the glare of the prurient tennis fan. Here come the gladiators, staring with a certain super model aloofness in black and white photographs on posters, billboards and advertisements around the globe. They are destined to re-vitalise tennis in time for the imminent retirement of those “Old Balls” Agassi, Sampras and Rafter.

Lleyton, Marat, Gustavo, Juan Carlos, Roger, Tommy, Jan-Michael, Scud, Nicolas, Magnus are the tennis rock stars of the future and, by all accounts, most of them are eager to whip up a bit of Beatle-mania in the autograph queues. “It’s fantastic to be put in such a group of elite players,” said Hewitt after his Wimbledon photo-shoot with Kuerten. “You’ve got the Kuertens, the Philippoussises, the Safins, the Ferreros, who obviously are the future of tennis as well. But you’ve still got to prove it. You have the high guys up there, the Rafters, the Agassis, the Samprases, and then the newer guys 23 and under sort of coming up biting at their heels.”
ATP Tour spokesman Matt Rapp says the “New Balls Please” campaign is about increasing awareness of the next generation of top players. “The campaign is about attitude,” he says. “The theme is New Blood – New Attitude. The guys with the guts and games to take on the established order.”

Sounds like a movie script, which should suit Gambill and Philippoussis. Following Kournikova’s lead, Jan-Michael is grooming himself for a career in film. “I met with a casting director of Star Trek Voyager over the Christmas break,” he revealed during the men’s tournament in LA last July. “I think I have a fairly good shot at getting a small part in the upcoming year. It’s just a matter of getting a part for me – timing.” Philippoussis may look a little stiff in some of his interviews, but who knows what he is capable of, given a little direction and some meaty dialogue?

“A couple of years ago, Anthony Quinn saw me at the US Open, and then called my agent and said he liked my looks and would like me to play the part of his son in a movie,” Philippoussis said. “I said sure to playing the part of Anthony Quinn’s son, of course. I was going to do it, but they changed the scheduling of the movie.”
Now, if I was a Hollywood director, objectively, coldly casting my eye over the ATP Tour Media Guide for my Top 10 list of bankable leading men to star in GLADIATOR 2, the following players would be given a screen test (in order of priority).

1. Marat Safin
Simply the best-looking male player on the planet, possibly the best-looking male as well. A true gladiator, a perfectly proportioned being and a tennis equivalent to Leo Tolstoy if only he could get that temper under control. Still, great champions should possess a healthy dose of madness and Marat needs to smash racquets the way some people need to crack their knuckles.
He is also extremely dry-witted and gives entertaining interviews. At the Tennis Masters Series in Toronto (which he won), he explained his addiction to racquet smashing. “Sometimes, you need this. And I think the people, they understand this. Because we are human beings and we need to try to break it because it’s only a racquet, it’s nothing else. But I know it’s not very nice on the court. It doesn’t look very, I would say, very educated.”
Some of Safin’s shots look like they might make holes in the court. In a few years time, when he has collected a number of Grand Slam titles, he will be shattering many women’s hearts as well.

2. Patrick Rafter
I’m sorry Pat, you were a good sort before you won those US Opens and you will continue to light up the court whenever that dodgy shoulder enables you to play at, or even below, your peak. Any match is worth watching if Rafter is involved, hence the incredible ratings lift on British TV when he played the Wimbledon final against Sampras. (Over 8.8 million people - 38 percent of the viewing audience - tuned in to BBC1, the best figures since 1992.)
Rafter has evolved into a warrior on court with a dashing serve-volley game; he’s smart, instinctive, courageous, versatile and incredibly down to earth. He’s had one girlfriend for a long time, comes from a big, happy family, gives time and money to children’s charities, and would cross over hot coals to play Davis Cup for his country. No wonder some fans call him Saint Pat – the man epitomises Rudyard Kipling’s “If” poem. Other players want to be like Rafter, hence Roger Federer’s and Lleyton Hewitt’s copycat ponytail. Don’t they know? Superstars start their own fashion trends.
3. Gustavo Kuerten
Forget the movies, if there is anyone you would choose to go out to dinner with, Guga would have to top the list. This Brazilian has maracas in his joints. He has a wide smile, a lateral sense of humor, is generous to his fans, and often looks like Don Quixote on the tennis court, soldiering on when his bones appear to be crumbling beneath him.
He is nice to his grandmother and helps look after his mentally handicapped younger brother, Guilherme, giving him all his trophies. The only trouble with Guga is, if you ran your fingers through his hair they might not come out again.

4. Lleyton Hewitt
This New Ball is the very essence of adolescence, with his cocky cap turned backwards as he rolls into the Land of the Giants. When Hewitt hits the zone, the effect is electrifying and every spectator in the house gets a charge. He’d make a great Mercutio to Pat Rafter’s Romeo – ready to commit insane acts of bravery, just oozing intensity and desire.


5. Andre Agassi
The saga of Agassi, now that he’s 30, is so involved and dramatic it would make a far better movie than a Coliseum flick. The bald-headed Las Vegan has been around the block many times, yet still we do not tire of his presence, particularly with the addition to his entourage of the intense fraulein Steffi Graf. Agassi speaks his mind, he toils hard, his groundstrokes are superlative, and the shiny bald pate lends him the aura of an advanced being, a Yoda in the making with a few more galaxies to traverse. You need one in every block-buster.

6. Mark Philippoussis
When the Scud beat Sjeng Schalken in five sets at Wimbledon this year, the next morning’s papers featured large photographs of him with one exhausted fist raised against a glary background. It was surreal, heroic, awesomely Greek God-like, as if Philippoussis had single-handedly beaten back a tribe of marauding barbarians.
A week later, the “matured” Mark 2 was again the anti-hero of Australian tennis after he withdrew from the Davis Cup. Such contradiction makes for frustrating, compelling, push-me/pull-you viewing. Besides, his dark, unhappy looks and mighty 193cm frame are the most photogenic around.

7. Jan-Michael Gambill
Oh, how beauty can be a curse. This 23-year-old American is working hard to prove he’s not just a pretty face, and worth more professional respect than being honored in People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful People of the Year” list.
Objectively, he’s a knockout: tall, perfectly proportioned and tight-muscled with straight white teeth, drippy deep-set blue eyes, tipped hair etc. Now that he’s starting to win a few more matches we may, in turn, see a bit more character leak out.
8. Juan Carlos Ferrero
The crown prince of men’s tennis – on clay, anyway. Again, the 20-year-old, light-boned Juan has not had a great deal of exposure, but his self-assured ascent to the semi-finals of this year’s French Open revealed a young man full of poise, tranquillity and astonishing ability. His fine features and inner strength will appeal to those who worshipped Mats Wilander.
9. Alex Corretja /
Carlos Moya
A tie. Two Spaniards for the more mature spectator, although Corretja is only 26 and Moya 24. Corretja is a thoroughly nice, courteous, clean-looking crooner of a player, while Moya has everything a bloke needs to top this list except a strong back – the reason he has not been playing well for 12 months.

10. Pete Sampras
You can’t exclude the best player of all time. Some, such as his actress fiancée, Bridgette Wilson, may find the hirsute Grand Slammer sexy, but behind that whopping great game, Sampras stores a great deal of emotion and every now and then it floods out, breaking the hearts of all those who understand how much he has gone through to dominate tennis for the past decade.

Working out with... Lleyton Hewitt by Andrea Leand Tennis Magazine Sept 2000