Still everyone's clay pigeons
June 4, 2004
Sydney Morning Herald
With the exception of Lleyton Hewitt, Australians have again failed miserably
at Roland Garros. So why the aversion to red dirt? Linda Pearce reports from
Paris.
Australia's Fed Cup squad, captain Evonne Goolagong Cawley and coach Mark
Woodforde are sitting around a table in Moscow before the April tie against
Russia when the perennial claycourt subject is raised.
Someone has heard of a plan to send the nation's best juniors for extended
periods to Spain to learn their craft on the best teaching surface. The idea
is supported, unanimously.
A month later, Davis Cup coach Wally Masur is commentating at Roland Garros,
where he has seen a near Australian wipe-out. Of the four men and four women
in the main draw, only Lleyton Hewitt and Nicole Pratt last until at least
round two. Hewitt's quarter-final trouncing by Gaston Gaudio is the beacon
amid the gloom and a reminder of Australia's deficiencies on the surface that
has thwarted it for decades.
Notable exceptions have existed, of course, including the 1999 Davis Cup final
pinched from the French on indoor clay in Nice, but the last comparable men's
French Open performance was in 1982, when all but eventual quarter-finalist
Peter McNamara were ousted in the first round. Hewitt is one of only four
Australian men to reach the quarter-finals or better since Rod Laver's last
win, in 1969, joining Phil Dent (1977), McNamara (1982) and Patrick Rafter
(1997). So why is it so?
"It's pretty cut-and-dried, really: we just don't have claycourts at home, so
if we have a good junior, the majority of his tennis is probably played on mod
grass at club level, and then if he becomes half-decent he's probably training
on Rebound Ace, and we just don't have clay," Masur said this week. "Clay
teaches you how to play, because you just can't bash winners. It's like chess,
a bit of self-learning."
Woodforde recalls, as a teenager, his coach Barry Phillips-Moore insisting he
left behind the fast surfaces and honed his game on the Continental clay, an
education lasting three years. "All he said to my parents was, 'I will teach
him as best I can, but he shouldn't be going to play in the US on hardcourts.
He needs to get away from Australia, get away from the fast courts, learn to
play on the slow European clay'," Woodforde remembered.
"His theory behind that was Australians have been brought up on faster courts,
we're always known generally as attacking players, serve-volleyers, and once
it's there, it's in-bred, you don't lose that. So if you're wanting to be a
great player, why would you not learn to play from the baseline?
"But I just don't see too many of the juniors coming over and playing these
tournaments. They've just got to learn to stick it out on the claycourts.
You've got to be willing to just haul arse on the baseline and just be willing
to stay out there and hit so many groundstrokes, but not lose sight of trying
to finish off at net as well, and I think you learn how to develop a winning
shot on clay."
Tennis Australia is now catching on and is increasing its number of claycourts
and like tournaments, while investigating more cost-efficient variations of
the traditional surface to encourage councils and clubs to lay red clay.
Wayne Arthurs also spoke in Paris of the possibility of setting up elite
junior camps in Spain for long periods, although Masur would prefer to see
more money spent on developing the infrastructure at home. And there is, too,
an injury-prevention benefit, Masur using the example of the promising Ryan
Henry, sidelined for more than a year with a type of stress fracture in his
knee that doesn't happen on clay.
"I think Tennis Australia are talking to clubs nearby to rip up some mod grass
or whatever they've got and put down some legitimate European claycourts to
use as centres during the day for our best juniors, at least, so that the
bigger portion of their training's on clay. Save their bodies, too," Masur
said. "It's been a long time coming, but I think it's actually about to
happen."
Masur thus sees a little cause for optimism, that he may one day watch
Australians playing singles for all the Paris fortnight. But for now, a
multiple presence in round two will be the exception, not the rule.
"It'll be hard," he said. "It is possible that we'll produce a claycourter the
likes of Guillermo Coria, but possibly not, because our culture's a little bit
different and the majority of our tennis is played on other surfaces. But we
do need to have kids who have a relevant game to what is going on in the world
today."
As for Hewitt, he will switch to grass, having equalled his best French Open
result and with his three Queen's Club and one Wimbledon title evidence of his
ability to handle the change of surface from slow to fast better than most.
Yet he, like the other Australians in Paris, acknowledges the broader problem
and sees part of the solution as more courts, more tournaments and greater
exposure to the tormentor that is European dirt. For whatever else in the game
may change, Hewitt insists, the transition from clay to other surfaces is
still easier than the reverse.
"I know there's a lot of guys, former players and stuff from Australia who are
strong believers in it," he said. "You watch a guy like Coria, [Juan Carlos]
Ferrero, [David] Nalbandian, these kind of guys, move on this surface, it's
really a joy to watch.
"I just think the game's changed in a lot of ways. There's not those
serve-volleyers out there nearly as much nowadays. Even on grass, as we have
seen in the last couple of years, and when I won Wimbledon, you can win from
the back of the court. I think it's easier to adjust from clay to grass rather
than vice versa."
Hewitt's
best asset is beyond big serves and fast forehands
By Alan Trengrove
Friday, 4 June 2004
The Canberry Times
Despite Wednesday night's loss at the French Open, Lleyton Hewitt has enhanced
his reputation as the best thinker in tennis.
Cerebral excellence isn't a quality people usually associate with Hewitt. They
appreciate his speed and tenacity, his never-say-die spirit, without realising
that his brain, in a tennis sense, is as fertile as that of any of the great
champions of the past.
In mental prowess, I place him among the top five tennis brains in Australia's
history, the others being the pioneering Norman Brookes, who was noted for his
cunning; the diminutive Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, who constantly out-thought
opponents; and John Newcombe, a master strategist at his peak.
Hewitt's mental attributes may be divided into two parts. First is his
capacity to concentrate, to hang tough when seemingly outclassed by a player
with bigger or more brilliant shots or one who strikes a purple patch. He
remains remarkably cool (apart from muttering a few expletives at the back of
the court), and tries to figure out how he can make life more difficult for
his opponent.
An example was his third-round match against Martin Verkerk, the 2003 French
Open finalist. The Dutchman is a very big man with a thunderous serve and a
lightning backhand. Compared to Hewitt, though, he's a mental pygmy. Down two
sets to one, and a break in the fourth, the outgunned Aussie cut down his
unforced errors, shrugged off Verkerk's winners, and won the battle of nerves
by dropping only three games in the last two sets.
Hewitt's second knack is his ability to read a match and adjust his tactics
accordingly.
Laver once told me that what impressed him most about Hewitt was his great
feeling of where he is in a match and what points are important. Such
self-knowledge is normally acquired only after years of experience. Hewitt
found it when fresh out of school.
"Lleyton is very mature at staying the course," said Laver. "He may go in with
a plan, but he's flexible."
Against Xavier Malisse on Sunday, Hewitt knew that the Belgian was becoming
frustrated and anxious. When Malisse looked like prolonging the match by
winning the third-set tiebreak, Hewitt hit a succession of good-length,
medium-pace shots to Malisse's backhand.
Leading 6 points to 3, Malisse lost patience, went for a few premature big
shots and made costly errors.
"He's a freak," says Todd Woodbridge, acknowledging his teammate's innate
sense of tactics. "People like him come along only every 15 or 20 years."
When Hewitt arrived in Paris 10 days ago, few gave him much chance of winning
the title. The favourites were Roger Federer, Carlos Moya and Guillermo Coria,
who had all won clay-court titles in recent weeks.
But Hewitt had learned from past mistakes, particularly his lack of adequate
clay-court preparation last year. This time he had spent more than a few weeks
on European clay. He felt more comfortable on clay and had faith in his
ability to beat any opponent on any surface.
That's another sign of his smartness. If he never wins the French Open, it
won't be because he failed to put his mind to the task.
Hewitt turns mind to grass
Bruce Wilson
Paris
04jun04
LLEYTON Hewitt departed with dignity from one of the worst lessons of a career
that once had him ranked the best player in the world.
He was polite, full of praise for the man who beat him 6-3 6-2 6-2, and
undeterred.
In fact, he sounded like a cross between a ruminant and a pot-head. "You've
just got to get on the grass," he said, which must have been the name of a
1960s song. What he meant was, he was leaving town for England.
He is going to play the genial but tough tournament at Queen's in west London
that starts on Monday and which he has won three times. After that he is
taking a week off to attack Wimbledon, scene of the triumph he counts above
all others.
You felt Hewitt must have been seriously down after being beaten so
convincingly by Gaston Gaudio, ranked 30 places below him.
Those who watched every point of that match will know what a comprehensive
loss it was for Hewitt. He was totally outsmarted and outplayed by a man who
knew exactly what he was doing on the red clay.
Happily, Hewitt had not the slightest hesitation in conceding that, and that
was another indication that he is a more serene soul.
Perhaps more important was the way he re-emphasised how vital it was to get
Australian kids on claycourts to learn how to play proper tennis.
Under his coach Roger Rasheed and the Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald,
Hewitt is quietly assuming the role of senior Australian player once held by
Pat Rafter. A wall he could do without has been built around Hewitt for most
of his career, and it seems to be breaking, if not exactly crumbling.
There is a way to go, but Fitzgerald, Wally Masur and Mark Woodforde in
Australia's Davis Cup set-up are very happy with Hewitt and his present
attitude.
As Hewitt himself said, he didn't know what they're feeding the South
Americans, but it seemed to be doing the trick.
Whatever it is, it flourishes in clay. The French Open for too long has been
treated as an eccentricity. It is more and more the place where those who
learned basic tennis make their mark.
The thrashing he was given by Gaudio might have been seen by Hewitt as just
one of those things in the old days. In fact, there was a time he might have
resented being asked about it at all.
Instead, he was not only happy to talk at length but also to take up what is
becoming a kind of mantra for the Australian hierarchy, that if tennis is to
go anywhere in Australia, kids must play on clay and learn all the arts.
Then, said Hewitt (backed by just about everyone), they can transfer those
skills much more easily on to other surfaces, especially since Wimbledon is
now slowing down both the balls and the courts.
Hewitt was almost rapturous about the great array of modern claycourt players.
"A joy to watch," he said.
Speaking of Wimbledon where he won in 2002 only to be knocked out in the first
round next year, Hewitt said: "I've always been able to change pretty well
(from clay to grass). For some reason I've been able to adjust maybe a little
bit better than some of the other people in the past."
The strength of the Argentines was written in letters of clay by Gaudio, and
later by David Nalbandian whom Hewitt beat in his Wimbledon final.
Nalbandian eliminated the madcap Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten in four hard sets
6-2 3-6 6-4 7-6 (8-6).
Kuerten had about 20 chances to win it and about 21 to lose it. That match was
played in front of an enraptured full house.
Hewitt-Gaudio didn't draw flies. Just how do these French crowds know?
|
Quarterfinal
Eurosport.com live commentary Gaston Gaudio def. Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
(read these comments from the bottom up) 14:10 GAME, SET, MATCH!!! Gaudio completes a relatively straightforward three-set triumph over the Australian, who storms off court disconsolately. Stay with us for coverage of the last quarter-final coming up soon between Kuerten and Nalbandian! 14:03 Hewitt misses an easy volley and sends a forehand in the net to lose his serve and let Gaudio fly to 5-2 lead 13:59 Gaudio fights back to hold his serve and keep the lead 13:51 Hewitt hits stronger shots now and Gaudio makes unforced errors for the first time of the match... Hewitt is back to 3-2 13:49 Hewitt breaks back!!! The Aussie shows his fighting spirit once again 13:45 Double break for Gaudio who flies to victory 13:39 Gaudio falls on his knee but he manages to hold his serve 13:32 But Gaudio continues to push hard and he forces the Aussie to miss a low volley to break him and take the lead in what could be the final set 13:31 ... Good serve and Hewitt is back to 40-40 13:30 Triple break point in the opening game of the third set for Gaudio... The Argentine comes to the net after breaking groundstrokes to win his points... Hewitt reacts to save to break points... still one to save 13:26 Guadio's baseline strokes are simply outstanding at the moment and there is absolutely nothing Hewitt can do right now... Gaudio leads two sets to nil 13:23 5-2... Gaudio is now serving for the second set and double his advantage 13:20 A back hand on the line and Gaudio storms to 5-1 lead in the second 13:15 Hewitt appears on the scoreboard for the second set at last... It's 4-1 Gaudio 13:16 Hewitt finally manages to hold serve in this set, holding to 30. 13:14 Despite some more aggressive play from the Australian, Gaudio is irrepressible right now. He wraps up his service game to 30 with a delightful drop-volley. 13:09 Gaudio is flying now. Some ferocious baseline shots leave Hewitt bewildered and the Argentine breaks to love for a 3-0 lead in the second set. 13:06 The Argentine is starting to dominate the match. Some sublime backhands prominent in an easy hold to love. 13:03 Once again, it's Gaudio who is quickest out of the blocks. He is mixing his shots up well and has Hewitt scampering all over the court en route to another break of serve. 12:52 FIRST SET TO GAUDIO!! Hewitt is looking out of sorts as the clay-court specialist makes him pay for a succession of unforced errors to take the first set 6-3. 12:49 Hewitt stays in the set, holding to 30 in a scrappy game. 12:46 Hewitt is given a chance to break at 30-40 on Gaudio's serve. A sweet drop-shot from the Argentine gets him out of trouble and he serves out the game for a 5-2 lead in the first set. 12:39 Hewitt races into a 40-0 lead but then loses five points in a row as Gaudio secures his second break of the set. 12:36 Neither player has settled into a rhythm yet. Gaudio manages to hold serve again, this time to 30. 12:32 Hewitt is hanging in there, eventually holding serve after the game went to deuce and Gaudio had a break point. 12:24 Gaudio manages the first hold of the match to 30. A delightful drop-shot at game point followed by a perfectly executed lob had Hewitt backpedalling furiously. 12:18 The Argentine refuses to be intimidated by the fiery Australian and breaks straight back. Plenty of errors from both players at this early stage. 12:15 Hewitt gets off to a magnificent start, breaking Gaudio to love with some commanding shots from the baseline. 12:12 Play gets under way on court Philippe Chartrier between Lleyton Hewitt and Gaston Gaudio. Gaudio serving first. 09:30 Welcome to eurosport.com/uk's LIVE coverage of Roland Garros! Two quarter-finals coming up today, with former winner and crowd favourite Gustavo Kuerten facing up to David Nalbandian, with Lleyton Hewitt comes up against the unseeded Gaston Gaudio. LIVE from 12:00CET! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GAUDIO DESTROYS HEWITT www.sportinglife.com Unseeded Gaston Gaudio thrashed Lleyton Hewitt for the loss of just seven games to reach the semi-finals of the French Open. Gaudio dominated the former world number one, winning 6-3 6-2 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier. It took less than two hours for the Argentinian to dispose of his 12th-seeded opponent, and Hewitt believes Gaudio is almost as good as tournament favourite Guillermo Coria on the clay. "Gaudio was too good," he admitted. "He is definitely a class player on that surface. Coria is the best on clay at the moment but Gaudio is, according to me, the closest behind." Hewitt failed to display his skills throughout the match against an inspired Gaudio, who dominated with some outstanding shots. "Gaudio's strong defence prevented me from getting any chance to attack him," Hewitt continued. "I tried hanging in there and tried a few things but it did not work. "He was very confident and his movements are too good on that surface." The 2002 Wimbledon champion is now left looking towards the grasscourt season. "I will play the Queen's and then rest for a week," he said. "I guess that the confidence I gained here at Roland Garros will be useful at Wimbledon. "I played quite well in Paris this year, my four matches got better and better as they went on." Gaudio, meanwhile, said: "I am so pleased, this is the first time I have been that far in a Grand Slam. "This has always been a child's dream to win Roland Garros, everything is possible although the other players are very good. "It's going to be a difficult battle for me. "The other players are the Galacticos," he added, referring to the football team Real Madrid. "Me, I am the Valencia team. "They are excellent players, they are all in the top 10. They certainly have a great talent, their level is better than mine." Like Gaudio, Hewitt had been hoping to reach the last four in Paris for the first time, and the former Wimbledon and US Open champion made a flying start, breaking to love in the very first game, playing some near-perfect tennis. But that was as good as it got for the Australian. Gaudio broke straight back and the set continued in tight fashion. In fact, one game proved decisive - the sixth - in which Gaudio launched a fightback from 40-0 down on Hewitt's serve to break again - the Aussie missing an easy put-away at 40-15. That was to prove crucial, with Gaudio serving out for the set, winning it 6-3. It really was only that disastrous sequence of points in the sixth game which had left Hewitt with a one-set deficit, but from then on he was truly second best. As expected, baseline rallies were the norm, with both men slugging it out for long periods. But unsurprisingly clay specialist Gaudio got the better of most of them. Gaudio raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set, pulling his opponent around the court and picking him off all too easily. Hewitt was trying to force his opponent deep behind the baseline, but Gaudio was coming up with some cracking shots - particularly on the backhand - from near-impossible angles. The damage had been done and as Gaudio served out for a two-set lead, Hewitt knew had would again have to mount one of his famous fightbacks to book that last-four spot. But it never really looked like happening as Gaudio continued his dominance with another early break in the third set. The game looked up for Hewitt a few minutes later when he lost his serve once again to go 0-3 down. He was missing far too many shots, while Gaudio's game was rock solid. With the pressure off, Hewitt immediately retrieved one of the breaks with a great game out of nowhere, breaking serve to love. But he had given himself too much to do. Even a nasty fall which resulted in a cut knee could not stop Gaudio who showed few signs of cracking. He was soon celebrating a memorable win when Hewitt blasted a forehand wide on match point. Gaudio will now face compatriot David Nalbandian in the last four.
Textbook Gaudio into first semi final |
| By Nyree Epplett Wednesday, June 2, 2004 |
|
|
| Gaston Gaudio’s backhand is made of the stuff you find in
textbooks. Honed on the slow clay courts of Buenos Aires, it slides off
his racquet and skims down the line or rolls across court and disappears
into thin air.
And on Court Suzanne Lenglen Wednesday, it laid the groundwork for the demise of former World No1 Lleyton Hewitt. “Like Sampras served like that, I play my backhand like that,” explained the wily Argentine who routinely disposed of the Aussie 12th seed in straight sets 6-3 6-2 6-2 to move into his first ever Grand Slam semi final. It was the unseeded Gaudio’s most stunning victory of the tournament to date. Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, simply failed to find the answers to the exceptional claycourt prowess of his opponent, and was blown away by the gloriously fluid one-handed stroke. “His backhand is one of the best single-handed backhands out there,” lamented Hewitt. "I tried hanging in there and I tried a few different things... "His defense was so good. He didn't give me a lot of chances to attack. He's a class player on this surface.” Enroute to his historic victory, Gaudio reveled in the cool and blustery conditions, controlling the dual from the outset with a near flawless display of superior shotmaking. He made just 19 unforced errors to Hewitt's 43 and broke the Aussie seven times. “I’m especially happy because I played much better than the other day. I knew if I kept focused, particularly at the key times, that I would be able to win,” said Gaudio, adding that he would have laughed off the notion of making the Roland Garros final one month ago. His previous best at a Grand Slam came two years ago here, when he reached the fourth round. “You gonna be kidding. That’s impossible!” said Gaudio, who has been forced to revise his original goal of making it to the second week here. “And now to win the tournament like a dream, I was dreaming about it,” said the 25-year-old. Hewitt struggled to get as much depth or bite on his shot as the Argentine, and rarely strung together enough points to bother the Gaudio from the backcourt. His flat, counter-punching style played right into the hands of the 44-ranked Argentine. He kept the Aussie scampering with his heavily angled balls, and succession of glorious drop shots. He threaded his near-perfect one-handed topspin backhand down the line and cross court over and over again to frustrate Hewitt. Hewitt broke the steady Gaudio just twice, in the first game of the match (Gaudio broke straight back to love, 1-1) and then again in the fourth game of the third set. At 3-3 and 40-0 on serve in the first set, the 12th seed looked like he might make a match of it. But four consecutive errors, including a sitter backhand at the net, and a shaky double fault sealed his fate, and he floated a backhand long to hand Gaudio a 4-2 lead. Hewitt missed a break point at 30-40 in the next game when the Argentine played a precise drop shot and upped the velocity on his serve and groundstrokes. “I thought I could have been a little more nervous but in fact I was not all,” said the Argentine, who won 20 of 21 points at the net. “I’m not used to go so much to the net,” he chuckled. Gaudio ran all over the Aussie in the second set, racing to a 5-1 lead before the Aussie had time to blink. Hewitt staged a minor resurgence of sorts in the third, but it was too little and too late, and the Argentine broke the Aussie one more time in the seventh game (5-2). He won the contest on his next serve when a Hewitt forehand floated wide. It is the second time in nearly as many weeks that Gaudio has beaten Hewitt, after inflicting a three-set defeat at the World Team Cup. Gaudio was one of four Argentines to advance to the quarter finals at Roland Garros (a new Grand Slam record for the nation). He now meets the winner of the Gustavo Kuerten v David Nalbandian quarter final in a match he compares to the final of the first division Spanish soccer league. “They’re (Nalbandian and Kuerten) the Galacticos (Real Madrid) and I’m the Valencia. They have a special talent and in the top 10.”
|
| Rd 4 Hewitt earns quarter final against Gaudio |
| By Matt Cronin Monday, May 31, 2004 |
|
|
| Two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt made a major
statement that he’s planning on contending for the title when he
out-steadied Belgium’s Xavier Malisse 7-5 6-2 7-6 (6) on Monday to earn
himself a quarter final clash with Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio.
"I’m a little stronger," Hewitt said. "It’s helping me on this surface. My preparation was better because I was feeling physically better this year. The more I play on the surface, the more confident I get."
Playing a classically solid and intelligent match from the baseline, Hewitt was forced to step up his offense in the third set after Malisse had found his range. The Australian responded brilliantly, taking far more risks with his forehand, charging the net at key moments and stretching the Belgian out.
"I was able to move him around and open his forehand up by going to his backhand," Hewitt said. "I felt I was getting a lot more cheap points over there. I tried to keep him on the move as much as possible."
While Malisse was often brilliant with his high flying forehand and served big, he was never able to penetrate Hewitt’s backhand side or maintain his patience in long rallies. In the end, it was Hewitt’s ability to entice errors out of the mentally erratic Belgian that got him through to his first quarter final here in three years.
The last French speaking player in the draw, Malisse came out pumped up and broke Hewitt to 3-1 when the Australian committed a backhand error. Hewitt broke Malisse back to 4-3, but then Malisse climbed all over the Australian to break again to 5-3. But Malisse tweaked his back in the next game when he stretched out for a backhand and couldn’t recover, as Hewitt raced a way with the next four games, winning the set with a sweet backhand crosscourt volley winner.
A discouraged Malisse was extremely inconsistent in the second set and was broken three times.
But in the third set, Malisse’s back appeared to loosen up and he seriously challenged the Aussie. He held break points on Hewitt’s serve in the second and sixth games, but failed to convert them.
Yet in the eighth game, he forced the Australian into a forehand error and gained the break to 5-3. However, Malisse again failed to serve it out and the two clawed into the tiebreaker.
Hewitt played a series of uncharacteristically sloppy points early on and then Malisse crushed an inside-out forehand winner and an ace to give himself a 6-3 lead. But the Belgian then committed three unforced errors, watched Hewitt caress a backhand volley winner and then missed a backhand wide to hand Hewitt the contest.
"I was just trying to hang in there," Hewitt said. "I felt confident out there. I didn’t have as many opportunities in the third set as I did in the first two sets when I felt really on top of my game.
“He played a lot better in the third set and when you get to a tiebreaker, anything can happen."
Gaudio defeated Russia’s Igor Andreev in straight sets and became one of four Argentines to reach the quarters. He and Hewitt have split three-setters on clay this year.
"He’s very confident on this surface," Hewitt said. I have to play aggressive stay on my game and be confident."
|
|
Match Summary |
|
|
|
|
Hewitt (AUS) |
Verkerk (NED) |
|
1st Serve % |
67 of 117 = 57% |
97 of 146 = 66% |
|
Aces |
7 |
18 |
|
Double Faults |
4 |
9 |
|
Unforced Errors |
16 |
61 |
|
Winning % on 1st Serve |
51 of 67 = 76% |
69 of 97 = 71% |
|
Winning % on 2nd Serve |
28 of 50 = 56% |
14 of 49 = 29% |
|
Winners (Including Service) |
33 |
54 |
|
Receiving Points Won |
63 of 146 = 43% |
38 of 117 = 32% |
|
Break Point Conversions |
7 of 18 = 39% |
3 of 12 = 25% |
|
Net Approaches |
13 of 13 = 100% |
10 of 17 = 59% |
|
Total Points Won |
142 |
121 |
|
Fastest Serve |
188 km/h |
217 km/h |
|
Average 1st Serve Speed |
166 km/h |
198 km/h |
|
Average 2nd Serve Speed |
140 km/h |
166 km/h |
Notable stats by set:
· Set 1: Lleyton had 0 unforced errors, won 50% of receiving points, and won 35 points to Verkerk’s 23. First serve % 55%.
· Set 2: Lleyton won 23% of receiving points and won 21 points to Verkerk’s 30. First serve % 44%. Verkerk broke Lleyton once.
· Set 3: Verkerk broke Lleyton once. Lleyton won 28 points to Verkerk’s 29 and won 33% of receiving points. First serve 50%.
· Set 4: Lleyton’s first serve increased to 87%. He was broken once but broke back three times. He won 26 points to Verkerk’s 20 with just 1 unforced error.
· Set 5: Lleyton won 54% of receiving points and broke twice, winning 32 points to Verkerk’s 19. First serve % 52% with a winning % on first serve of 92%.
Eurosport.com live commentary
Lleyton Hewitt def Martin Verkerk 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
(read these comments from the bottom up)
19:58 LENGLEN: HEWITT SERVES WIDE...THE RETURN FALLS SHORT...THE AUSTRALIAN DISPATCHES A ROCKET DEEP INTO THE COURT AND OUT GOES VERKERK
19:57 LENGLEN: 40-0 THREE MATCH POINTS FOR HEWITT...
19:56 LENGLEN: Verkerk battles through his serve to win his first game of the set...5-1
19:53 LENGLEN: Verkerk is all but gone as Hewitt holds serve to go 5-0 up and is now, surely, not going to be caught
19:49 LENGLEN: HEWITT TAKES IT AND IS NOW JUST TWO GAMES AWAY FROM A PLACE IN THE FOURTH ROUND
19:49 LENGLEN: The Dutch all clad in orange are suddenly looking a little subdued...meanwhile Verkerk gifts Hewitt yet another opportunity for a double break...
19:43 LENGLEN: Hewitt tightening his grip on the match goes up three love, Verkerk's game coming apart at the seams as he hits unforced errors wide and long
19:40 LENGLEN: Hewitt saves the first with a sweeping half volley...and the second, deuce
19:38 LENGLEN: Hewitt sends a forehand long and Verkerk has two break back points, IT COULD BE NOW OR NEVER FOR THE DUTCHMAN
19:35 LENGLEN: Hewitt has a break point...AT FULL STRETCH THE AUSSIE FLICKS A LOB OVER THE ADVANCING VERKERK AND SNAPS UP A 2-0 LEAD IN THE FIFTH
19:29 LENGLEN: Hewitt holds a tough service game to nose ahead in the fifth, 1-0. Every game is crucial from here on...
19:25 LENGLEN: Verkerk is back up now...here comes the fifth set
19:23 LENGLEN: Verkerk has his physio on court and is being treated for what looks like cramp...
19:21 LENGLEN: Hewitt turns the screw - IT'S TWO SETS APIECE. Hewitt is ecstatic punching the air...
19:16 LENGLEN: Hewitt has suddenly injected some urgency into his game and is battling hard - he looks like he really wants this. 5-2 Hewitt in the fourth
19:14 LENGLEN: The Verkerk ship has been upturned - Hewitt breaks and looks like he's on his way to sealing the fourth set
19:10 LENGLEN: Verkerk's star dims as he plugs a string of errors to give Hewitt a 3-2 lead
19:07 LENGLEN: BUT HIS BACKHAND LETS HIM DOWN AS HE SENDS A BALL WIDE. HEWITT IS RIGHT BACK IN THE SET, 2-2
19:06 LENGLEN: Verkerk goes 40-15 down...saves the first break point with a lethal backhand...
19:02 LENGLEN: Disaster for the Hewitt camp as the Australian goes down a break in the fourth. Verkerk now leads 2-1
18:48 LENGLEN: Verkerk whams down a 204 km/hour serve to snap up the third set and take a two set lead. Hewitt's got his work cut out now if he's to turn this round
18:41 LENGLEN: Verkerk holds powering his way to a 5-3 lead. Hewitt to serve to stay in the third set
18:36 LENGLEN: The nerves jangling as Hewitt plugs a double fault, but he recovers to hold, 4-3 Verkerk
18:35 LENGLEN: Hewitt turning up the heat on the Verkerk serve, but the Dutchman sees the job through and leads 4-2
18:31 LENGLEN: Hewitt holds but only just his first service percentage plummeting to 47
18:30 LENGLEN: The Dutchman has turned the match on its head and now leads 3-1 in the third...Can Hewitt reassert himself or was that early lead just a false start?
18:25 LENGLEN: VERKERK BREAKS...2-1
18:22 LENGLEN: Still on serve, 1-1
18:18 LENGLEN: Hewitt makes no mistake with his opening service game banging down a succession of solid first serves, 1-0 in the third
18:12 LENGLEN: FULL STEAM AHEAD AS VERKERK CLOSES THE SET OUT WITH A TO-LOVE SERVICE GAME. This match is wide open as we go into the third...
18:11 LENGLEN: Verkerk whacks a wild forehand into the stands gifting Hewitt the game, the Dutchman will now serve for the set...5-3
18:08 LENGLEN: Verkerk yells, goading himself on as he holds serve to go 5-2 up...he is now only a game away from levelling the match at a set apiece
18:04 LENGLEN: Hewitt holds and looks set on taking this second set to the wire, 4-2 Verkerk
18:00 LENGLEN: Verkerk holds again and looks on course to clinch the second...
17:56 LENGLEN: Hewitt chalks up his first game of the second set with a determined effort, but Verkerk continues to look more dominant and still leads by 3-1
17:52 LENGLEN: Verkerk wastes no time consolidating the break with a stream of big first serves, 3-0 to the Dutchman
17:49 LENGLEN: Verkerk dispatches a backhand rocket and clinches the break to take a 2-0 lead in the second. Orange shirts in the stands are ecstatic...
17:47 LENGLEN: Verkerk suddenly looking dangerous steams to a double break point...squanders the first...and the second, deuce
17:44 LENGLEN: Verkerk grits his teeth as he struggles to take the opening game of the second set...but he does! 1-0 to the Dutchman
17:41 LENGLEN: A flawless display at the net from Hewitt has him punching the air and girlfriend Kim Clijsters on her feet applauding wildly in the stands...
17:37 LENGLEN: Hewitt races to a double set point and then wraps up the first with an unreturnable serve that lands right on the T
17:35 LENGLEN: Verkerk cranking up his single-handed backhand and unleashing it with success as he holds, 5-2 Hewitt
17:31 LENGLEN: Hewitt keeps his foot firmly on the accelerator extends his lead to 5-1, Verkerk to serve to stay in the first set
17:27 LENGLEN: Hewitt ups the pace and sends a bullet cross court to seal the double break. Verkerk really struggling to match the Australian's speed and unrelenting style of play
17:25 LENGLEN: The Dutchman in real trouble as Hewitt picks up his third break point...
17:18 LENGLEN: Hewitt consolidates his lead holding despite a strong challenge from Verkerk, 3-1 to the Aussie
17:14 LENGLEN: A masterful drop shot earns Verkerk two break points...Hewitt's experience showing as he comfortably saves both, deuce
17:09 LENGLEN: Verkerk's second service game goes his way as he begins to find his length and respond to the early returns from Hewitt, 2-1 to the Aussie
17:05 LENGLEN: The Australian's opening service game proves to be much more straighforward - he holds to-love, 2-0 Hewitt
17:05 LENGLEN: The Dutchman clearly unsettled fails to hold his serve and a fired-up Hewitt gladly snaps up the break
16:58 LENGLEN: Verkerk to open the service...
16:57 LENGLEN: Australia's world number six Lleyton Hewitt is out on court warming up with 2003 runner-up Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands
Steely Hewitt calm under fire
By Nyree Epplett
Saturday, May 29, 2004
www.rolandgarros.com
On Saturday at Roland Garros, the last remaining Aussie Lleyton Hewitt rallied from behind to out-muscle last year’s finalist Martin Verkerk 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 and move into the fourth round. The 12th seed is now just one match short of his best ever showing on the red clay here.
“I feel as good as I’ve ever probably felt on clay,” said the Aussie. “But going into the second week it doesn’t get any easier.”
And as much as he and every other fair dinkum Aussie would hate to admit it, Australia’s devastating first round Davis Cup demise might just have been a blessing in disguise for Hewitt in this event.
Today’s stirring win comes on the back of Hewitt’s most comprehensive claycourt season yet, made possible by Australia’s Davis Cup loss to Sweden in February. It gave the former world No1 the rare chance to get to Europe early and hone his skills on his least favorite surface. He came into this tournament with 14 gritty claycourt matches under his belt, more than ever before, and it showed on Court Suzanne Lenglen today.
During the two hour, 48 minute tussle, the steely Hewitt never let up, weathering a hearty Verkerk renaissance in the second and third sets and breaking the Dutchman’s spirit by reeling off 10 straight games to steal the victory.
The Aussie played a flawless first set, where he made no unforced errors, before the giant Dutchman hit a purple patch that lasted two whole sets. Verkerk upped the velocity on his groundstrokes, pushing Hewitt out to the sides of the court with his explosive power and perfect placement. He harnessed his brilliant one-handed backhand to secure a single service break in each set, and closed out the third with a 204km serve that clipped the top of Hewitt’s racquet and sprayed out into the stands. This was the same Verkerk who had beaten former champ Carlos Moya and Guillermo Coria enroute to the final last year. Throughout today’s encounter he blasted down 54 winners, including 18 aces.
“I’ve never seen a guy hit that many lines on his serve,” said Hewitt. “I guess that’s how he made the final last year.”
With his back to the wall, and down a break in the fourth (1-2), Hewitt staged a comeback of titanic proportions. Sniffing a lull in the Verkerk onslaught, the Aussie chopped up the pace and charged the net. The 19th seed, now clearly waning physically and mentally, played a string of loose points to hand Hewitt the next three service breaks and the set. He notched up 61 unforced errors for the match.
“I was just trying to get a start into his service game. It would have taken a hell of a lot to keep up that serve the whole of the match,” said the former Wimbledon and US Open champ.
Hewitt scrambled and counter-punched his way through the fourth and fifth sets, and finally broke Verkerk’s spirit with a brilliant topspin lob that handed the Aussie the vital break in the decider (2-0). The No12 seed raced to 5-0 in the fifth (10 games in a row) before Verkerk got back on the board.
“I knew that when I could get a look at his second serve that I had the opportunity to win the point…When you play a guy like that, you have to take your chances when you get them.
“I had to draw on everything I had out there today. I didn’t feel like I was playing badly, it was just an awkward match. I didn’t feel I was doing anything wrong.”
Hewitt has been flying the Aussie flag in Paris since round one, when the only other three Australian men in the tournament, tripped up on the ‘terre bateau’.
He now meets the winner of the clash between 2002 champ Albert Costa and Belgian Xavier Malisse for a berth in the quarter final.
Hewitt battles past Verkerk in Paris
30 May 2004
www.stuff.co.nz
PARIS: Former world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt lived up to his never-say-die reputation when he recovered to beat Martin Verkerk, last year's runner-up, 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 and reach the French Open fourth round overnight.
Hewitt, seeded 12, looked to be on the way out when Verkerk led by two sets to one and a break of serve in the fourth, but the Australian fought back to win through in two hours 48 minutes.
"If I went down the way he was playing and serving, that is just too bad," Hewitt said.
"But when I broke back in the fourth set (for 2-2), my game went up another level."
After romping through the first set in 40 minutes without a single unforced error, Hewitt was left reeling by some powerful hitting by Dutchman Verkerk, who beat Carlos Moya and Guillermo Coria on his way to the final last year.
Verkerk looked in command when he broke early in the fourth set, but Hewitt won 11 of the next 12 games to clinch a gutsy victory.
The Australian said he felt helpless against the powerful serve of Verkerk, who hammered 18 aces and constantly had Hewitt on the back foot.
"I think it would have been a hell of a feat for him to go on serving as well as he was," Hewitt said.
"For about a set and a half, I really wasn't getting a look in."
Hewitt, who added that he felt more at home on clay than at any stage in his previous visits to Roland Garros, now plays either former winner Albert Costa of Spain or Belgian Xavier Malisse for a quarter-final berth.
"It's not like it gets any easier," he said. "There are a lot of good players left. Whether I play Xavier or Albert, it's not exactly an easy match."
Sheer will wins one more for Hewitt
Saturday, May 29, 2004
By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
PARIS -- The rap on Martin Verkerk is that the laissez-faire Dutchman doesn't care enough. Lleyton Hewitt, the scrappy Aussie, probably cares too much.
Lleyton Hewitt managed to win using a strong defense and a steely state of mind.
Contrasts in style and substance, they collided Saturday on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the French Open. Hewitt, down two sets to one and a break in the fourth, somehow willed his way to win 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. In the last set, Hewitt looked like a Grand Slam champion; last year's runner-up, Verkerk, to the dismay of his orange-clad fans, looked like the club player from the Netherlands he was as recently as a year ago.
"I was just hanging in there," Hewitt said. "He served extremely well for two sets and I just had to wait for my opportunities. He's a tough guy to play in that situation -- that's how he got to the final last year. I was just hoping to put a little doubt in his mind."
In the round of 16, Hewitt, who was cheered on by his fiancée, Kim Clijsters, will play the winner of the match to be completed Sunday between Xavier Malisse and Albert Costa, who was leading 2 sets to 1 when darkness fell with the pair tied at 5-all in the fourth set.
Hewitt, now 23, won two Grand Slams at a precocious age, but has gone 0-for-6 since. His ranking, formerly No. 1, has trailed off to No. 12. With the emergence of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and a fleet of young Spanish players on the horizon, Hewitt's determination, most days, is no longer enough to win; he will have to raise the level of his game to compete in the major tournaments.
Verkerk, the cartoon-goofy Dutchman, wandered into last year's French Open final after a previously undistinguished career. The way Verkerk contorted his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame and talked to himself endeared him to the crowds. He was only the third man in the Open Era (1968) to reach the final in his debut. Since last year's French, Verkerk, who has a reputation as a voracious socializer off the court, never put together back-to-back wins the rest of the 2003 season and failed to advance past the second round in his three Grand Slam appearances.
Although Hewitt defeated Verkerk twice earlier this year, in Sydney and just a week ago at the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, momentum seems to swing herky-jerky between the two men. Here in Paris, once again, neither man could sustain a rhythm long enough to control the match. Verkerk hit bombs all over the court, while Hewitt counter-punched, playing his defense game.
The first break in the fifth set went to Hewitt. Following the familiar pattern, Verkerk hit a big serve, and Hewitt scrambled to retrieve it. Verkerk followed with a good approach shot, but Hewitt hoisted a pretty lob that clipped the line for a 2-0 lead. With Hewitt, screaming "Come on!" after every successful shot, Verkerk disappeared. Hewitt won 12 of the last 15 games.
Hewitt, who won titles at Sydney and Rotterdam earlier this year, likes his position. With four of the top six seeds departed, this could be Hewitt's best chance for a victory at Roland Garros.
"Oh, I don't know about that, mate," Hewitt said. "There's a reason that Ferrero and Federer are out of the tournament. They played guys that were too good. I'm just trying to take it one match at a time.
"I feel as good as I've ever felt on clay, especially at this tournament. We're not even through half the matches in a Grand Slam. I played a lot more clay matches this year coming in, so I'm pretty happy with where my game is."
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Hewitt through, Kuerten ousts Federer
www.abc.net.au
Lleyton Hewitt has shot into the fourth round of the French Open after beating last year's runner-up Martin Verkerk in a five-set marathon, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Hewitt, the 12th seed, will play either 2002 champion Albert Costa of Spain or Xavier Malisse of Belgium for a place in the quarter-finals.
But the former world number 1 had to claw his way back from the brink of defeat as he fell two sets to one down and with a service break against him in the fourth set.
Hewitt began promisingly and pocketed the opening set 6-2 in 40 minutes on the Suzanne Lenglen court.
But that was when the towering Verkerk started to uncork his howitzers - first on service and then on both forehand and backhand flanks, bringing gasps of appreciation from a packed crowd.
Single breaks of serve in both the second and third sets were enough to put him ahead and when he broke again to lead 2-1 in the fourth, Hewitt, watched by girlfriend Kim Clijsters, had his back to the wall.
But once again the Adelaider's never-say-die attitude kept him alive and he broke back in the next game to level.
With some of the sting going out of Verkerk's game, Hewitt started to dominate and he broke again in the sixth game before levelling the match at two sets apiece.
In a match-up of two of the most demonstrative players on the circuit, Hewitt ran away with it in the decider, moving to 4-0 with two breaks of serve and then serving out twice for the match.
Hewitt will now take on either 2002 champion Albert Costa of Spain or Belgium's Xavier Malisse, whose tie was suspended because of fading light with the Spaniard having wasted two match points.
Hewitt fights back for third round win
May 29, 2004
Lleyton Hewitt showed all his trademark fight to claw his way into the fourth round of the French Open with a five set win over Dutchman Martin Verkerk on Saturday.
Hewitt came back from two sets to one and a break down in the fourth to beat last year's finalist 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 and will play either 2002 champion Albert Costa or Belgian Xavier Malisse whose match was suspended overnight with Costa two sets to one up and 5-5 in the fourth.
The 12th seeded Australian looked gone when he lost his second service game of the fourth set but turned the match around when he immediately broke Verkerk back and won the next four games to take the set in 18 minutes.
Verkerk had treatment for cramp between the fourth and fifth sets and Hewitt showed no mercy, running him around the court as the 19th seed lost the power which had won him the second and third sets.
After struggling to get a look in on Verkerk's booming serve, Hewitt broke the tiring beanpole five times in a row to completely dominate the latter stages of the match.
"I had to draw on everything I had out there today," Hewitt said.
"I didn't feel like I was playing that badly.
"To put myself in a position where I was two sets to one down and a break, I didn't feel like I had done much wrong. He was just playing too well at the time.
"I had to just wait for my chance and as soon as I got that opportunity I had to take it straight away. I was able to do that.
"It's very satisfying getting through matches like that."
With defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and top seed Roger Federer out of the tournament in Hewitt's half of the draw, the former world No.1 has a very real chance of at least progressing beyond the quarter finals at Roland Garros for the first time.
The 23-year-old played close to the best he ever has on clay in the first set, with a range of groundstrokes and sliced backhands as Verkerk took a while to find his feet.
But Hewitt was stunned by Verkerk's transformation at the start of the second set.
Pumped up by his recovery from 0-30 down in the opening game and with the crowd at Suzanne Lenglen court behind him, Verkerk all of a sudden found some enormous power and precision.
His groundstrokes were packed with vicious sting and range and he broke Hewitt in the second game of the second set with some pinpoint cross court winners off both wings.
The Dutchman consolidated his break to go 4-1 when he sent Hewitt scurrying back and forth across the baseline and then finished him off with a beautifully soft touch at the net.
In the first set, Hewitt patiently waited in the rallies before killing them off, but in the second and third, it was Verkerk who took his time and rifled off winners as unforced errors crept into Hewitt's game.
But the match turned back just as significantly when Verkerk wilted and Hewitt pounced.
The only other Australians in action today were in doubles matches, with Rennae Stubbs partnering Zimbabwean Cara Black to beat Americans Jennifer Hopkins and Mashona Washington 6-1 6-4, while Lisa McShea teamed with Milagros Sequera from Venezuela to beat Janette Husarova and Conchita Martinez 6-4 6-4.
Todd Woodbridge paired up with Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova for a first round win in the mixed doubles over Myriam Casanova and Cyril Suk, while Stubbs partnered another Zimbabwean, Kevin Uylett, to beat Marion Bartoli and Gaston Etlis 6-0 3-6 6-2