Rd 2 Fired up Hewitt moves on at Roland Garros

BY MATTHEW CRONIN
tennisreporters.net
May. 29, 2003 7:11 p.m.

It doesn’t take much to get under top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt’s skin, but if you’re his opponent, you had better not call him out at the weigh in.
The day before his second-round match at the French Open against the gritty Aussie, young Russian Nikolay Davydenko said that Hewitt — who has never won a clay court tournament — had no chance to win tennis’ most prestigious crown on dirt.

That was all the ammo he needed to survive his own spotty play on Thursday when he outlasted Davydenko 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in a three-and-a-half hour dogfight.

Even though he hit short much of the day and could have used a rocket booster attached to his racket to help him hit a winner, the red-faced Hewitt kept fighting until his opponent folded in the fourth set tiebreaker, squandering a 3-0 lead due to six unforced errors.

"I'd heard about it through a few of my guys," Hewitt said. "I got more chance of winning it than he does. It doesn't bother me. It doesn't hurt me at all. There’s only one person I think it can hurt: the person who opened their mouth. I knew he was a good player, but you know, he was going to have to play one of his best matches if he was going to win today."

Hewitt was in a foul mood much of the day, slamming his racket to the ground, swearing in frustration and even getting himself a code violation. The 22-year-old from Adelaide is living proof that anger management works, because few athletes are as frequently surly as he is and still manage to consistently walk to the winner’s circle.

"I get a little bit heated out there," he said. "That's stuff you look back on and probably feel like you didn't have to say or you regret saying it afterwards. But it's very tough out there in the heat of the moment. I don't think it affects my tennis, though. I feel like I switch on and off. My concentration is pretty good when I'm out on the court."

While Hewitt certainly knows how to lock in, he hasn’t exactly wowed the world this year. He did have a brilliant two-week sweep of Scottsdale and Indian Wells, but he’s been very human since then, which is why he’s only No. 11 in the ATP Champions Race. Clay is a surface that does not play to his strengths, because he cannot counterpunch effectively and is forced to put up a wall-like defensive and wear his foes down. Davydenko committed a whopping 112 unforced errors in the match, while Hewitt committed 72. That’s why Hewitt won, not because he was cracking balls past his opponent. However, Hewitt only managed 10 winners from the baseline during the contest, a frightening statistic should he go up against more accomplished, big-swinging clay court players in the next 10 days.

Playing in hot conditions on Philippe Chatrier Court, Hewitt let go of numerous opportunities to close out the Russian. These included failing to take advantage of being ahead a break in the second set and when he was broken twice serving for the match in the fourth set when Davydenko wailed two winners.

"I knew I was going to have to hit a lot of balls," Hewitt said. "I felt like at the start I was pretty aggressive, played some of my best tennis. I just lost a little bit of concentration. I felt like I was in control of the match the whole time, but I couldn't quite finish it off. That’s got a lot to do with him. I felt like he played a lot, lot better when he was down all the time rather than when he was actually in front."

Hewitt had three difficult tussles last year before falling to Guillermo Canas 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 3-6 last year. He is a remarkably consistent player, but his body may not be strong enough to survive another 17 hours or so on clay. Hewitt needs to attack the net more to shorten the points or he’s going to look like silly putty by the time the money matches roll around.

Few people, save for former Australian Davis Cup coach John Newcombe, Lleyton’s private coach, Jason Stoltenberg, and his girlfriend, No. 2 ranked Kim Clijsters, believe that Hewitt can win Roland Garros this year. But the reigning Wimbledon champion loves being placed in the role of underdog, where he can sneak up behind someone and bite his tennis shoe off.

"I see it as a challenge, that clay's not my best surface and going into a Slam and not being one of the big favorites," he said. "I’m still not the red-hot favorite, but I still got a fighting chance."Determined Hewitt pulls plug on Davydenko's ambitions
By Neil Harman, Tennis Correspondent in Paris



LLEYTON HEWITT leapt from hot bath to cold and back again on Wednesday night to try to release the tension building in his body as he prepared for another route march across clay, pursuing tennis balls that are weighty, fluffy and taking an enormous strain on the arms. He will need to repeat the prescription tonight.
Hewitt’s place in the third round of the French Open was confirmed yesterday after a tussle with Nikolay Davydenko, of Russia, that drew enormously on the resources of the Australian, who would like to believe that he can become the first player in 23 years to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon within the space of a month.

If resolution alone were the determining factor, there is no doubt that Hewitt would have a wonderful chance. He has said this week that few players believe they can win Wimbledon, whereas he does. It is not quite the same here. The world No 1 expends more energy than most because he does not possess the artillery to blow his opponents off court; he has to show them that he will not be worn down. Davydenko got close on Court Philippe Chatrier yesterday, but not close enough.

Hewitt also wound himself up so much, it was a wonder that his cap stayed on. He was blowing indignant fury most of the time and the four-letter words may not have endeared him to the well-heeled gentry in the boxes at courtside, but he needs to unleash them to get himself going.

“Now and again I get a little bit heated out there,” he said. “Maybe I don’t have to say it and regret saying it afterwards. But it’s tough out there in the heat of the moment. I feel like I can switch (his temper) on and off. It was a grind. He hits the ball sweet from the back of the court and though I felt I was in control for most of the match, I couldn’t finish it off.”

When he reached the line after 3½ hours, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, Hewitt was asked if he knew that Davydenko had said he did not believe the top seed had a chance of winning the championship. “Well,” Hewitt said, “I’ve got more chance of winning it than he does.”

He has a better chance if the sun keeps beating down. It only needs the atmosphere here to become heavier for the clay to turn to stodge and play into the hands of the Spaniards and South Americans.

In the third round, Hewitt will meet, for the first time, Tommy Robredo, a young Spaniard who has not done himself enough justice in the leading tournaments. “I will have to do better than I have in the first two rounds to get past him,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt code violation

From correspondents in Paris
May 30, 2003

TOP seed Lleyton Hewitt was lucky to escape serious censure as he forced his way into the third round of the French Open with a four sets win over Russia's Nikolay Davydenko today.

Hewitt did it the hard way again and fought with himself as much as Davydenko on the way to winning 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5).

He gave up match points when serving at 5-4 and 6-5 in the fourth set before he came from 4-1 down in the tiebreaker to move into the third round with his fourth match point.

Hewitt was given a code violation from umpire Lars Graf for an audible obscenity at himself when Davydenko earned set point in the second set but he could have received at least one more which would have cost him a point.

The frustrated world No.1 regularly swore angrily at himself, sprinkling the Philippe Chatrier court with "f___" or "f___ing ____head" and when he gave away a break point late in the fourth set, turned to the crowd behind him and yelled "for ____'s sake shut up!"

He was also lucky to escape a violation when he snapped a racquet after slamming it into the clay in frustration.

Hewitt, 22, continued to berate himself throughout as he failed to find any rhythm or consistency and repeatedly missed shots he would normally nail.

But he started in brilliant style, racing to a 4-0 lead in the first set as he attacked the ball and landed his stinging forehand passes while turning full stretch recoveries into winners.

Davydenko, the world No.33, held serve to go 4-1 but then the next four games all went against serve as Hewitt struggled with his first service.

The Australian took the set and when he immediately broke the Russian easily to start the second to go 2-0, it looked like his Roland Garros campaign was back on track.

But, as he did in his four set first round win against Brian Vahaly, he retreated from his brilliant best into a mess of unforced errors as the Russian grew in confidence.

He gave up his break and was then broken three times to drop the second set.

He started the third in similar fashion to the first with an early break giving him a 3-0 lead which he maintained, although he had to save two break points when he served out for the set.

For the fourth time, he broke Davydenko's opening service game of the set but again he surrendered the advantage before securing the crucial break in the fifth game, which he gave up after losing his first match point at 5-4.

Three consecutive breaks followed, the 18th, 19th and 20th breaks of the match before Hewitt dug deep in the tiebreaker to remain the only Australian male left in the singles.

Lead up articles

Hewitt hangs back to conquer the clay

The fear of premature burn-out has forced Australia's Lleyton Hewitt into a high-risk strategy of minimal preparation before the French Open.
World No1, Lleyton Hewitt, tells Stephen Bierley he has taken the R&R approach to Roland Garros in a bid to achieve the ultimate double.

Saturday May 24, 2003
The Guardian

The fear of premature burn-out has forced Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, the 22-year-old world No1, into a high-risk strategy of minimal preparation before the French Open, which begins on Monday, and the defence of his Wimbledon title next month.

More and more young players, including Russia's Marat Safin, the former world No1, and Germany's Tommy Haas, are suffering from stress injuries. Accordingly Hewitt, with his all-action style, has deliberately cut back his programme this year to keep fit and fresh for the four grand slam events and the Davis Cup. But he knows he is treading a fine line between being ready and being vulnerable. "My motivation levels never drop but I needed some time off," said Hewitt. "My priorities have changed. I need to stay healthy so I can stay in the game longer."

No man has won Roland Garros and Wimbledon back to back since Sweden's Bjorn Borg, who achieved the remarkable feat three times in succession from 1978 to 1980. Hewitt has it locked away in his mind that the feat might be possible for him and he has devised a schedule to maximise his chances. So far this year, excluding the Davis Cup and this week's World Team Championships in Düsseldorf, which is really no more than an exhibition event, he has played in only five tournaments, winning two.

"I think I've had enough time on the court. As the No1 everybody comes at you with guns blazing but I feel I can move up a notch next week," Hewitt said. "Sometimes when you come back to clay your legs turn to jelly. I could still be a little more aggressive but it's probably been the ideal preparation."

Clearly he wants to believe so. There has been much talk of the problems with his immune system, after he was struck down with chickenpox last year, and of his ongoing row with the ATP, whom he is threatening to sue, over his absence from the clay-court circuit. [sic: it's over his fine for the ESPN interview that never happened in Cincinnati last year] Hewitt's withdrawal from Monte Carlo and Rome allowed him to keep his body and mind refreshed.

Hewitt exerts more physical energy on court than any other top player, with the exception of Andre Agassi; small wonder that this pair, separated by 11 years, are vying for the No1 spot. But the overwhelming lesson Hewitt has learned from the American is the need to be selective and not waste too much pedal power on the flat when there are mountains to be climbed.

This is not good news for the ATP, the ruling body of men's professional tennis, who like to believe that all the leading players will play every one of their nine-event Tennis Masters Series. Of the five that have taken place this year - in Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg - Hewitt has played in three and Agassi in two.

Again, excluding the Davis Cup and World Team Cup, Hewitt has played 19 matches this year (16-3), Agassi 25 (23-2), whereas Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the world No3 and favourite next week, has notched up 37 (30-7), accompanied by ongoing injuries. [n.b. Hewitt's played 24 matches including DC and WTC and has also played some doubles]

Time and again Agassi has won tournaments, including the French Open in 1999, off the back of seemingly scant preparation; the same has applied to Pete Sampras. The two Americans are giants of the modern game, with 22 slam titles between them. For Hewitt, with only two major wins, to be following a similar path may be to risk failure.

The French Open already presents Hewitt with his most difficult slam challenge. As yet he has not gone beyond the last eight. "I could win three matches easily next week, or get myself into a grind. I'd like to get more cheap points off my serve but so far I've not really mastered that on clay. But my movement has improved. It's a challenge and I always like challenges. I think I'm getting better and better."

With seemingly hordes of Spaniards and Argentinians mustering on the brow, and with the last Australian to have won the title being Rod Laver back in 1969, Hewitt is well aware of the difficulties. If he is to win at Roland Garros, let alone double up like Borg at Wimbledon, the window of opportunity may be brief.

Already some are wondering whether Hewitt's success is akin to that of Martina Hingis, whose great advance came with Steffi Graf on the wane and before the rise of the Williams sisters. Similarly, it could be argued, Hewitt has made his mark at the tail end of Sampras's and Agassi's careers and before the next giant arises to club him down.

This may be to underestimate Hewitt: "I've already done more than a lot of people thought I could do - even myself." If his serve does continue to develop - and Tim Henman, beaten by Hewitt in last year's Wimbledon semi-final, has often stressed what an underrated weapon it already is - then the feisty Australian may yet become one of the all-time greats.

It may be that in the land of tennis robots, the man with human imperfections and frailties is king. As Hewitt says of his game: "I feel like the crowd can interact with me. I get fired up and show some emotion - and I'm young."

Fewer matches may mean more major titles and, if that happens, as with Agassi, nobody will complain except the ATP

Tough French draw for Hewitt

From correspondents in Paris
May 23, 2003

TOP seed Lleyton Hewitt will have to fight all the way for his first French Open title after being handed a nightmare draw today with the prospect of facing any one of seven top line clay court specialists by the semis.

If Hewitt gets past a potential clash with three-time winner Gustavo Kuerten or 21st seed Gaston Gaudio in the fourth round, he faces a possible quarter final against either defending champion Albert Costa (9th seed) from Spain or Gaudio's fellow Argentinians David Nalbandian (8) and Agustin Calleri (18).

Third seed and last year's finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero or young 19th seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who beat Hewitt in Hamburg last week, could then provide even stiffer resistance in the semi.

After an opening match against American Brian Vahaly, even reaching as far as the fourth round will be tough for the 22-year-old South Australian who has never gone beyond the quarter finals at Roland Garros.

Big serving Briton Greg Rusedski looms in the second round and yet another clay courter, Spaniard Tommy Robredo, in the third.

Second seed Andre Agassi, on the other hand, received a far friendlier draw with his first major worry coming from a potential quarter final against last week's Hamburg Masters winner and seventh seed Guillermo Coria from Argentina.

Fourth seeds Carlos Moya and No.5 Roger Federer then await for a possible semi.

Hewitt's Davis Cup team mate Wayne Arthurs was drawn in Hewitt's half and has a first round clash with Czech Radek Stepanek while Mark Philippoussis will face an as yet undecided qualifier.

The only other Australian male in the draw, wildcard Scott Draper, has a tough first round match against 12th seeded Dutchman Sjeng Schalken.

In the women's draw, the Williams sisters remained on track for their fifth grand slam final meeting in a row after top seeded Serena and No.3 Venus were drawn in opposite sides.

Defending champion Serena opens up against Barbara Rittner and Venus plays a qualifier while No.2 seed Kim Clijsters plays Amy Frazier.

The best chance among the Australian women, Alicia Molik, has a tough opener against 15th seed Magdalena Maleeva but if she can overcome the Bulgarian she could reach as far as the quarter finals where Clijsters awaits.

Wildcard Christine Wheeler and Nicole Pratt could face each other in the second round if they get past Tathiana Garbin and 14th seed Eleni Daniilidou respectively.

Tenth seed Jelena Dokic, who has hinted she could return from Yugoslavia to play again for Australia, was drawn to meet Venus Williams in the fourth round.