Hewitt's romance good for his tennis

Lleyton Hewitt says his romance with Belgian Kim Clijsters has been good for his tennis.

Hewitt and Clijsters have been together for 15 months and in that time have both risen into the top 10 in the world, with Clijsters recently reaching the final of the French Open.

Ahead of Wimbledon, which starts next week, Hewitt said the romance had been good for him.

"We both understand the pressures and the tough situations we go through as top athletes, now we are both in the top 10 in the world," Hewitt told the SBS World Sports program.

"We know when we are playing a big match how we both like to be calm before the game.

"We understand we both have our own goals in tennis and are trying to (reach them) as soon as possible.

"I think at the moment it's paying off for both of us."

Hewitt, who was a shock first-round loser at Wimbledon last year, said he would use his on-court tenacity and the Australian tradition of Wimbledon success in his attempt to win the coveted grass-court crown.

Hewitt is seeded fifth for Wimbledon and will be trying to better his previous best singles performance, a third-round defeat at the hands of former champion Boris Becker in 1999.

He said the tournament was steeped in tradition and he'll be hoping to carry on the success of former Australian winners like John Newcombe and Rod Laver.

"There's just so much tradition there ... we've had so many great Australians win on that centre court, it's such a prestigious centre court, you really feel it as soon as you get out there," he said.

"You feel the whole buzz of being in the Wimbledon suburb leading into the tournament and as soon as the gates open on that Monday morning, it's rush hour, it's an unbelievable feeling as a player."

Hewitt's other major weapon will be his competitive spirit, which he said had always come naturally to him.

"I was just born a very competitive kid. I love competing, I love to win, and I hate getting out there and losing," he said.

"I think that really shows in my tennis because every time I step on the court I want to give 100 per cent, I never say die."

Hewitt said former world No.1 and top seed Pete Sampras would have to be the favourite to take the crown for an eighth time, in front of fellow American Andre Agassi.

But he said fellow Aussie Pat Rafter, seeded third, would be among the remaining contenders at the end of the second week.

"Pat Rafter is up there - he came so close last year and he definitely has the game to do it."

Hewitt wins Heineken Trophy
.c The Associated Press

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) - Lleyton Hewitt won his second grass court title
in two weeks Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over unseeded Guillermo Canas in
the ATP Heineken Trophy final.

The Australian's ninth career title earned him $54,000 and completed his
preparation for Wimbledon, which began with last week's win at Queen's Club.

The 20-year-old star won the tournament without dropping a set or even being
forced into a tiebreaker.

Hewitt, ranked sixth in the world, gradually tightened the pressure on his
61st-ranked opponent from Argentina.

Canas was leading 40-15 in the seventh game but Hewitt grabbed three straight
points to create the match's first break point and converted it immediately.
And in the ninth game Hewitt clinched the set by breaking Canas again.

The players traded breaks in the first two games of the second set but the
match settled down and games went with serve until Canas served to stay in
the match at 4-5.

Hewitt stepped up to force a match point. Canas saved it but Hewitt converted
Hewitt a second on a Canas error.

Giving himself ``an outside chance'' of winning Wimbledon, the Australian
said he was going into the next two weeks with confidence sky-high,
especially on grass.

``I've come to know the grass court surface very well and I'm learning to
play better and better on it all the time,'' he added. ``But I believe in
myself on any surface against whoever it may be.''

Hewitt's victory was the fourth straight Australian title in Den Bosch, the
previous three having gone to Patrick Rafter.

AP-NY-06-24-01 0926EDT


Tennis-Hewitt claims back-to-back grasscourt titles
By Steve Keating
 
DEN BOSCH, Netherlands, June 24 (Reuters) - Top seed Lleyton Hewitt completed
his Wimbledon preparations on Sunday with a second successive grasscourt
title, defeating Argentine Guillermo Canas 6-3 6-4 in the Heineken Trophy
final.

Coming off the defence of his Queen's Club crown last Sunday, Hewitt was
again in superb form as he brushed aside the Argentine claycourt specialist
on a sun-baked Centre Court in 81 minutes.

The Australian, seeded number five at the All England club, improved his
record on grass for the season to 10-0, roaring through the Dutch tournament
without dropping a set.

"It's fantastic to have this many wins going into a Grand Slam and to be
playing this well," said Hewitt, whose Wimbledon campaign 12 months ago ended
with a first-round loss to American Jan-Michael Gambill. "Not to drop a set
all week gives you a lot of satisfaction. I feel like I'm match hardened now.

"I'm not going to forget what I've done the last two weeks.

"It's going to be in my mind that it's been two great weeks winning back to
back titles on grass, I'll remember that a long time.

"But it's difficult to put a Grand Slam that's coming up out of your mind and
now it's time to focus on one tournament."

Although Canas had never put together back-to-back wins on grass until Den
Bosch, Hewitt was wary of the Buenos Aires baseliner.

Just three weeks earlier at the French Open, Canas had forced the Australian
to come back from two sets down for the first time in his career to claim a
fourth-round victory.

Again Canas, seldom venturing from the baseline, provided Hewitt with plenty
of resistance as the tenacious Aussie immediately went on the attack, coming
to the net at every opportunity.

Under relentless pressure from the 20-year-old Australian, Canas finally
cracked in the seventh game when Hewitt broke him to lead 4-3.

OPENING SET
Hewitt then stepped his game up a gear, the Aussie quickly moving in for the
kill, holding serve and breaking the Argentine again to take the opening set.

But Hewitt was unable to carry the momentum into the second set, finally
taming Canas on his second break point at 5-4 to clinch victory.

When Canas's return sailed long, Hewitt broke into a broad smile then turned
to his parents and signalled the number five with his right hand.

"I've never been top five and there's not too many people who can say they've
been in the top five tennis players in the world," Hewitt said. "For me
that's been a goal and it's a bit of a milestone.

"I'm over the moon that I've been able to touch five at least and now I'll
try to stay there."

Despite a brilliant two weeks in which he has claimed some big name scalps,
including seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras and British hope Tim
Henman on the same day, Hewitt was playing down his growing status as a
favourite to win the grass Grand Slam.

"I haven't been there in the second week, I don't know what it's like,"
Hewitt said. "We all know Pete Sampras is a totally different player at
Wimbledon than he is at Queens.

"He's proven that to everyone too many times for anyone to think there's a
favourite ahead of Pete.

"He's going to be a totally different player come tomorrow when he steps on
Centre Court.

"I definitely give myself an outside chance the way I'm playing but I'd still
put a lot of guys ahead of me."

Along with a cheque for $54,000, the winner also received a chartered
helicopter flight to Wimbledon, though Hewitt said he was not sure whether he
would collect the prize because he had too many people to take with him.

10:43 06-24-01

Love all: Lleyton and his bubbly girlfriend  *Pictures*
By HELEN McCABE in The Netherlands
24jun01
AS Lleyton Hewitt prepared for the start of Wimbledon tomorrow he found time for some playful moments with his girlfriend Kim Clijsters.

Clijsters, who yesterday brushed Jelena Dokic out of the Heineken Trophy in Holland, amused herself by blowing bubble gum in Hewitt's face as the couple returned from an intimate dinner.
Sporting his new-look shaved head, Hewitt responded by mimicking Clijsters, 18, before leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.
Expectations grew that the fifth-seeded Hewitt could lift the Wimbledon title when he beat Belgian Gilles Elseneer to reach the semi-finals of the Heineken Trophy yesterday.
"I give myself a good chance at Wimbledon, an outside chance," said Hewitt, who had a confidence-boosting win over seven-time champion Pete Sampras on the way to defending his Queen's title. "I'm feeling good. The last week and a half has been really enjoyable."
Hewitt and Clijsters spent just over an hour at a Chinese restaurant in Den Bosch, where local diners seemed oblivious to the high-profile sporting duo's identity, before they strolled back to the modest Nuland Hotel.
Hewitt, 20, who is reluctant to talk publicly about his relationship laughed and held Clijsters' hand over the table as he talked animatedly about the day's play.
Afterwards the pair stepped out onto the major highway, not far from the Rosmalen tennis stadium and again joined hands for the short walk home.
Both go into Wimbledon in top form. Clijsters was runner-up in the French Open.
"We've both been playing well in different tournaments," Hewett said later.
"Obviously mine has come from playing in Queen's last week . . . she's probably still got that self-belief in herself after making the final of the French Open."
Throughout the tournament, Clijsters continued to wear an elegant gold ring with a single diamond on her wedding finger.
It is understood friends of the couple on the international tennis circuit believe the pair are very much in love.
Hewitt is currently ranked number five in the world while Clijsters is ranked seven.
However, they were both seeded top in Holland.
The couple spent every spare minute in each other's company by catching the same car to and from the stadium and sharing a $135 room away from the other guests behind large metal gates.
In the morning they ate breakfast together and during the day Hewitt showed his devotion by sitting through as many of her games as he could.
At tense moments in the games he could be seen giving her an occasional nod of support.
Hewitt was also joined in Europe by his best mate from Emmanuel College in Adelaide Hayden Eckermann, 20, and his brother Jarred, 18.
"It's good just to have a coupla of the boys come over for this stretch," Hewett said.
"They did it last year and they're doing it again this year."
"It's hard coming through a sort of long period in Europe . . . so I hadn't seen all my mates for awhile so it's nice just to get back that feeling even though it is a long way back from Australia. It's that connection of being home, anyway."
Hayden told The Sunday Telegraph he has known Hewitt since they were in the seventh grade at school and have been best mates ever since.
He said Hewitt seemed to like having him around to support him during the games.
"He likes it and it's good. He looks over at us and it's good for us to watch him play," he said.
Aside from being responsible for shaving Hewitt's head, the old school buddies also helped out at practice sessions and joined him in the stands to watch Clijsters.
"She's a really nice girl," Hayden said.
While Hewitt remains cautious about his chances at Wimbledon, reigning champion Pete Sampras believes the feisty Australian has what it takes.
"I would almost rather play him on hardcourt rather than grass," said Sampras in a startling admission from a man who has won 53 of his past 54 matches at Wimbledon for seven crowns.
"After he beat me in the (Queens) final last year, I thought he would go further.
"But I think he'll break through this year and do well.
"He has the mental attitude and the wheels. He moves unbelievably well on grass. All the great Wimbledon champions have had that great mobility – (Bjorn) Borg, (John) McEnroe; they could all move."

Hewitt looks for second title, Henin triumphs
By Steve Keating

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands, June 23 (Reuters) - Top seed Lleyton Hewitt of
Australia will play Argentine Guillermo Canas for his second grasscourt title
in a week after sweeping past fourth seeded Swiss Roger Federer 6-4 6-2 on
Saturday to reach the final of the Heineken Trophy.

Canas, a claycourt specialist who advanced to the fourth round of the French
Open dispatching Briton Tim Henman, earned his place in the final with a 7-5
6-4 win over promising Spaniard Tommy Robredo.

Earlier, second seed Justine Henin beat top seed Kim Clijsters 6-4 3-6 6-3 in
the women's final, avenging a semifinal loss to her Belgian compatriot at the
French Open two weeks ago.

The victory gave the 19-year-old Henin her third title of the year and will
send her to Wimbledon unbeaten on grass this season.

It was also Henin's first Tour win over Clijsters, who had beaten her close
friend in their two previous meetings.

"To get this victory just weeks after the French was really good," said
Henin.

"It was difficult having lost the last two times.

"The French was a good lesson, it was a final and I wasn't afraid.

"Everyone was thinking Kim should win on grass and I won.

"I really wanted this victory, it was important to me in my head...for my
confidence that I can beat Kim.

"This was good preparation for Wimbledon, now I have a lot of confidence and
know that I can win on grass," the 19-year-old added.

Hewitt, who began his Wimbledon preparations with a successful defence of his
Stella Artois crown last week, overcame a sluggish start to tame his Swiss
opponent in just 74 minutes and register his ninth consecutive win on grass.

Federer, rated a Wimbledon dark horse, opened strongly taking the
Australian's opening two serves as he romped to a 4-1 lead.

LOST FOCUS
But Federer, admitting later that he lost focus thinking more about his
opening match on Monday at Wimbledon than Hewitt, began to lose his way. The
top seed seized his opportunity to sweep the next five games and the set.

The Swiss held his serve to start the second set but once again a ruthless
Hewitt went on the attack claiming six of the next seven games.

"He (Federer) probably plays Monday and I got the impression that he was
thinking about his first match at Wimbledon," said Hewitt, who has yet to
drop a set at the Dutch event.

"It's hard to keep focused but it's been hard for the last two weeks.

"After every match, people keep asking about Wimbledon.

"But it's something I'm getting used to. It's hard to block out but it's
something I've been able to do in the past.

"I'm definitely feeling confident. I'm match hardened and ready going into
Wimbledon."

The other semifinal featured the unlikely paring of, Robredo, who had never
even set foot on a grasscourt until he arrived in Den Bosch and Canas, a
player who had never put together back-to-back wins on grass.

As expected the two claycourters spent almost the entire contest battling
each other from the baseline the Argentine continuing his domination over
Robredo, who he beat in the Casablanca final earlier this year to collect his
first career title.

"I don't know about my chances tomorrow but I feel confident," said Canas.

"Normally you come to every tournament expecting you can win but to be honest
I am surprised to be in the final of a grasscourt tournament.

"Until this week I had not even won two matches straight on grass and to be
in the final is something I could not have expected."

Hewitt the class on grass ahead of Wimbledon
By Steve Keating

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands, June 23 (Reuters) - He is unbeaten on grass this
season and has mowed down grasscourt king and seven-times Wimbledon champion
Pete Sampras twice.

He has brushed aside three-times Wimbledon runner-up Goran Ivanisevic and
British hopeful Tim Henman and still found time to squeeze in a haircut and a
few dates with his Grand Slam finalist girlfriend Kim Clijsters.

The grass, it seems, is indeed greener for Lleyton Hewitt this summer.

"I'm only 20, I'm feeling good," smiled Hewitt, after easing into the
Heineken Trophy semifinals. "The last week and a half has been really
enjoyable."

And if the Australian can maintain his form, the next fortnight could well be
remembered as the best two weeks of his tennis career.

Despite a 100 percent grasscourt campaign, a bag full of scalps and a
deserved number five seeding at Wimbledon, Hewitt rates himself as an
'outsider' when play begins at Wimbledon on Monday.

Others, however, would differ.

In the build-up to Wimbledon, Hewitt, has been the hottest thing on turf,
successfully defending his Queen's title last week after accounting for
Sampras and Henman on the same day.

The Australian has displayed no signs of let-down or fatigue in the
Netherlands, powering his way into the last four of the Dutch grasscourt
event without dropping a set.

OUTSIDE CHANCE
"I give myself a good chance...an outside chance," said Hewitt, his long
blond hair and ponytail replaced by a close-cropped crew cut.

"I've never been past the third round and if I can get into the second week
it will be new territory for me.

"But I feel like I've played in enough big matches that I know how to perform
and it shouldn't be a telling factor for me."

Already recognised as one of the grittiest competitors in the sport,
confidence is one commodity Hewitt has never had in short supply.

But his recent victories, over Sampras in particular, have lifted the
Australian to a new level of self-assuredness that was lacking last year when
he stumbled out in the opening round to American Jan-Michael Gambill.

"I haven't really been that confident in my game on grass the last couple of
years and the wins I've had over the last couple of years, including some big
Davis Cup matches, have definitely given me confidence," said Hewitt.

"I think I'm still learning how to play on grass and to have the wins I've
had against top players and two titles gives me self-belief."

Hewitt also believes Sampras remains the player to beat at Wimbledon but,
like Henman, claims he does not fear the man considered by many to be the
greatest to play the game.

"You have to believe in yourself and have an on-day," said Hewitt, when asked
what it takes to beat Sampras.

"If you're a little bit off you're not going to win. I think it helps me out
knowing that I'm capable of beating him.

"But if I play him, I'm pretty sure he'll forget that he lost to me at
Queen's the last two years and think about the last seven out of eight years
that he's won Wimbledon.

"He's got to start favourite, he's playing well."

ALLERGY PROBLEMS
Ironically, two factors that could derail Hewitt's Grand Slam dreams are
chronic allergy problems that have been linked to grass and an unexplained
Centre Court syndrome.

A player who appears to have adrenaline flowing through his veins and be in a
constant state of agitation when on court, Hewitt claims he has had problems
getting "pumped up" to play on Centre Court, considered a tennis temple and
the sport's most sacred venue.

"It's a hard court for me to get pumped up on," shrugged Hewitt. "I really
don't know why.

"It's a different environment, there's so much history with that Centre Court
and you always have that in the back of your mind when you go out there to
play.

"Until you're out there in the middle of it you don't know the feeling.

"It's not intimidating, it's just a totally different situation.

04:08 06-23-01

Top seeds Hewitt and Clijsters through
By Steve Keating

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands, June 21 (Reuters) - Top seed Lleyton Hewitt brushed
past former Wimbledon runner-up Goran Ivanisevic 6-4 7-5 on Thursday to reach
the Heineken Trophy men's quarter-finals.

The Australian was followed into the next round by his girlfriend, women's
top seed Kim Clijsters, who booked a semifinal place with a tidy 6-3 6-4 win
over 1999 champion Kristina Brandi of the United States.

Clijsters, playing in her first event since losing to Jennifier Capriati in
the final of the French Open, will next meet an increasingly confident Jelena
Dokic.

The fourth-seeded Yugoslav was in ruthless form for her quarter-final,
disposing of fifth seed Henrietta Nagyova of Slovakia 6-2 6-0 in just 42
minutes.

The other semifinal will feature second-seeded Belgian Justine Henin against
Uzbekistan's Iroda Tulyaganova, both having advanced at the expense of
Russian opponents.

Henin, who lost to Clijsters in the semifinals at Roland Garros, eased past
Elena Bovina 6-4 6-4, while Tulyaganova rallied to beat seventh seed Tatiana
Panova 1-6 7-6 6-4.

His long blond hair and ponytail replaced by a close-cropped crewcut, Hewitt
needed just over an hour to trim Croatian wild card Ivanisevic and keep his
100 percent grasscourt record this season intact.

Coming off a successful defence of the Queen's Club title in London on
Sunday, the 20-year-old Australian continued to play with supreme confidence,
claiming the only break of the opening set to take control of the match.

IVANISEVIC EXPLOSION
The contest produced its expected share of fireworks, the volatile Ivanisevic
slamming his racket into the turf and then kicking it after Hewitt recorded
the decisive break in the second set to go ahead 6-5 and then served out for
the match to secure his seventh consecutive win on grass.

"I give myself a good chance at Wimbledon, an outside chance," said Hewitt,
who had a confidence-boosting win over seven times champion Pete Sampras on
the way to retaining his Queen's Club title.

"I've never been past the third round but I feel like I've played enough big
matches that it shouldn't be a telling factor that I've never been that far
before.

"I'm feeling good.

"The last week and a half has been really enjoyable," added Hewitt, who is
seeded fifth at Wimbledon but lost in the first round of last year's
tournament.

While Hewitt is convincing more and more people that he has a legitimate
chance to lift the Wimbledon title this year, Ivanisevic, a finalist in 1992,
1994 and 1998, does not believe the Australian's time has come.

"I don't think he can win this year," said Ivanisevic, who will be making his
14th appearance at Wimbledon. "Personally I wouldn't bet on him this year but
in the future I would.

"In the future he's going to be a very dangerous player on grass."

NEW HAIRCUT
Hewitt said his new haircut came courtesy of "some mates" who had come to
Europe to see him play.

"No real reasons, the boys came over from Australia with a few clippers and
decided to cut it off," he said. "It's something different, no real reason.

"We were going to do it Spain if we won but just got edged out there, so now
is as good a time as any."

He next meets Belgian qualifier Gilles Elseneer, who advanced with a 6-4 6-7
6-0 win over Swede Magnus Gustafsson.

A Hewitt win on Friday could set up an intriguing semifinal against another
player with an outside Wimbledon chance, Roger Federer.

After a sluggish start to the tournament, the Swiss player has been in
devastating form, steamrollering into the final eight with a 6-0 6-1
demolition of Dutch wild card John van Lottum.

Up next for Federer is another Dutchman, Raemon Sluiter, who secured his
place in the next round when Frenchman Nicolas Escude was forced to retire
from their match with a sore back while trailing 4-1.

14:19 06-21-01