Lleyton has chicken pox January 3 2002
PERTH, Australia, Jan 3 (Reuters) - World number one Lleyton
Hewitt has been sidelined by chicken pox just 11 days before the start of the
Australian Open.
The 20-year-old has withdrawn from the Hopman Cup in Perth after extensive tests
revealed he has the virus, officials said on Thursday.
Hewitt is due to be the top seed at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year
at Melbourne Park from January 14-27.
Hewitt's girlfriend women's world number five Kim Clijsters does not have the
disease, having already suffered from it as a child, officials said.
Hewitt was seen by Hopman Cup tournament doctor Peter Steele and infectious
diseases specialist Miles Beamon on Wednesday.
Early test results released on Thursday morning suggested he did not have
chicken pox but later results proved positive.
"Lleyton is suffering the effects of a viral infection and needs to rest up
for a few days," Dr Steele said.
Dr Steele is confident Hewitt will be able to take part in Melbourne, but the
enforced rest period could play havoc with his Open preparation.
FEELING UNWELL
Hewitt suffered from fever on Tuesday night and woke up with spots the next
morning. He later said that he had been feeling unwell for the last few days.
His manager John McCurdy initially said he hoped Hewitt had caught a 24-hour
virus circulating in Perth rather than chicken pox.
Despite the illness, Hewitt played in Australia's Hopman Cup victory over
Argentina at the Burswood Dome on Wednesday, beating Mariano Zabaleta in the
singles and teaming up with Alicia Molik to win the decisive mixed doubles.
But his withdrawal means Spain will automatically go into Saturday's final of
the mixed team event, eliminating the hosts.
"It is very disappointing for the tournament and very disappointing for
Lleyton who was so gallant in playing when he first got the symptoms,"
tournament director Paul McNamee said.
CHICKEN NOISES
But he added that the player had taken the news well. "Everyone started
making chicken noises in the room so I thought that it must be good news but
actually that's how he took the news.
"We don't know how he got it... that is something his parents are looking
into now.
"He has just accepted it. He's in quite good spirits. He has still very
much got his eyes on the Australian Open as something he wants to win."
Doctors in Perth have told him to rest for four or five days before resuming
training.
"It is not a perfect preparation but there's nothing you can do about
that," McNamee said.
"Doctors are very confident that he will be able to play (in the Australian
Open) because of how he is feeling and the symptoms he has got.
"He'll be practising again after four or five days' rest. He is taking
medication which blocks the symptoms and he has started it early," he said,
adding that the medication was not on the sport's banned list.
Hewitt's rescue act the tonic for Molik
Lleyton Hewitt powers Australia back into the tie against Mariano Zabaleta.
The world No1 keeps Australia on course in Hopman Cup, writes Linda Pearce in Perth.
When Lleyton Hewitt arrived at the Burswood Dome yesterday to prepare for Australia's Hopman Cup tie against Argentina, his priority was not the warm-up court, but the medical room.
Hewitt had a high temperature. He saw the tournament doctor. He would later leave the site for precautionary tests. He had felt poorly for several days.
But Hewitt had obligations. As the major drawcard at the mixed teams event, he is being paid handsomely for his labours and, as others have learnt the hard way, goodwill is not a wise commodity to risk.
There was also Australia's plight to consider, for Alicia Molik's 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4 loss to world No27 Paola Suarez had dictated that Hewitt's situation was a must-win.
"He always wanted to play; some others wouldn't have, though," tournament director Paul McNamee said during Hewitt's 6-3 6-4 defeat of Mariano Zabaleta, one that may double as a preview for next month's first-round Davis Cup tie on clay in Buenos Aires.
"I don't feel great; it's no secret. But I had to come out to play for the crowd, and play for Australia, and I came out here and played some pretty good tennis," Hewitt said before teaming with Molik for a 5-7 6-3 10-7 mixed doubles win that rescued the tie.
Hewitt left immediately in search of a diagnosis with the Australian Open - where he will be top seed - due to start in just 11 days. He appeared a little sluggish and tentative to begin, but was still able to string together five consecutive games to take the first set, then secure the rubber by breaking the Zabaleta serve in the seventh game of the second.
"It's only my second match of this year - my first, technically, but second in this tournament - and after getting down an early break I just felt I stepped it up a couple of notches and played some good tennis," Hewitt added of the victory over an opponent he had lost to in their only previous meeting, on clay.
Hewitt has been troubled by various health problems for more than a year, although not even a mystery respiratory ailment could impede his run to the world No1 ranking. Whether previous problems and this one are related is unclear, but more should be known this morning.
Illness permitting, the 20-year-old has at least one more tie to play; tonight, in the round-robin finale, where he is to meet Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
Molik, whose freakish running forehand around the net post changed the course of the mixed super tie-break and provided a welcome fillip to her confidence, opens against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Collectively, a place in Saturday's final is at stake.
For all her improvement, Molik remains somewhat frustrating, and seems unsure at times whether she should attack or defend. She has tempered some of her natural attacking instincts in breaking into the top 50 for the first time, playing more patiently and improving her movement and groundstroke consistency.
With the careers of Nicole Pratt and Rachel McQuillan closer to the end than the start, Molik and Evie Dominikovic are considered the best future hopes among the current crop of Australian women, four of whom are ranked inside the top 100.
Molik has the bigger game, one of the three fastest serves on the tour and the capacity to play a net-friendly style that many of her rivals lack.
But what happened against Suarez was not atypical. The Australian had her chances in the first set, which were ultimately scuttled by an error-riddled tie-break. She lapsed again at the start of the third, when a couple of loose games were all Suarez needed to improve her imposing three-set record.
Molik could be anything - or she could fail to fulfil her potential. She announced herself to the world with a free-wheeling upset of Natasha Zvereva at the Sydney International three years ago, and has since trimmed her ranking from 172 to 47, but John Newcombe is not alone in his assessment of the Fed Cup regular as an underachiever.
Still, she now has a new coach, David Taylor, and her progress is steady. At her previous Australian Open, Molik suffered the ignominy of a 6-0 6-0 belting from Silvija Talaja; at her latest major, the US Open, Molik upset 15th seed Maggie Maleeva before pushing No19 Barbara Schett in the third round.
Italy upsets Americans; Hewitt might have chicken pox
SportsLine.com wire reports
PERTH, Australia -- The highly favored Americans lost a Hopman Cup match to the Italians on Wednesday and world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt might have the chicken pox, which could force him to pull out of the Australian Open.
Hewitt ignored a high fever to win his singles match and then combined with Australian teammate Alicia Molik to beat Argentina. After his second match, he broke out in spots and tournament officials said Hewitt was undergoing tests to determine whether he has chicken pox.
Hewitt tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Mariano Zabaleta after Molik was beaten 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4 by Paola Suarez in a Group B match.
Hewitt and Molik lost the first set of the mixed doubles but came back for a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 win, including a 10-7 margin in the deciding third-set super tiebreaker, to take the match 2-1, Australia's second straight win.
On Thursday, Australia will play Spain, also 2-0, with the winner advancing from Group B to Saturday's final.
Hewitt started sluggishly and was broken in his first service game, but it was the only time he dropped his service during the match.
"I don't feel great, that's no secret," said Hewitt, who received treatment from a doctor Wednesday morning after falling ill overnight.
Chicken pox is usually more serious when contracted as an adult, meaning Hewitt's Australian Open appearance beginning Jan. 14 could be in jeopardy.
Francesa Schiavone and Davide Sanguinetti beat their American opponents to give Italy a winning 2-0 lead in their round-robin match.
Schiavone, who beat No. 5-ranked Kim Clijsters two days earlier, overcame a hamstring injury to upset Monica Seles 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 and give Italy a 1-0 lead.
Sanguinetti then beat Jan Michael Gambill 7-6 (1), 6-3, giving Italy the winning margin, with the mixed doubles to be played later Wednesday.
The top-seeded Americans and Italy both are 1-1 n Group A.
Hewitt leads Aussies' win at Hopman Cup
Associated Press
PERTH, Australia -- Lleyton Hewitt, the world's No. 1-ranked player, ignored a high fever Wednesday to win his singles match, then combined with Australian teammate Alicia Molik to beat Argentina at the Hopman Cup mixed tennis tournament.
After his second match, Hewitt broke out in spots and tournament officials said he was undergoing tests to determine whether he has chicken pox.
Hewitt tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Mariano Zabaleta after Molik was beaten 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4 by Paola Suarez in a Group B match.
Hewitt and Molik lost the first set of the mixed doubles but came back for a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 win, including a 10-7 margin in the deciding third-set super tiebreaker, to take the match 2-1, Australia's second straight win.
John McCurdy, Hewitt's manager, told Reuters that his player "had some spots and certainly chicken pox is one line we are looking at."
"There is also some talk of a 24-hour virus going around Perth at the moment and we are hoping it is more likely that he has that," McCurdy said. "We just won't know until the test results come back."
Also Wednesday, Francesa Schiavone and David Sanguinette beat their highly favored American opponents to give Italy a winning 2-0 lead in their round-robin match.
Schiavone, who beat No. 5-ranked Kim Clijsters two days earlier, overcame a hamstring injury to upset Monica Seles 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 and give Italy a 1-0 lead.
Sanguinette then beat Jan Michael Gambill 7-6 (1), 6-3. Seles and Gambill came back to win the mixed doubles 6-1, 6-3 to make the final margin 2-1.
The top-seeded Americans and Italy both have 1-1 records in Group A. The Americans likely will need to beat Belgium on Friday to qualify from Group A in Saturday's final.
On Thursday, Australia will play Spain, also 2-0, with the winner advancing from Group B to Saturday's final.
Hewitt started sluggishly and was broken in his first service game, but it was the only time he dropped his service during the match.
"I don't feel great, that's no secret," said Hewitt, who received treatment from a doctor Wednesday morning after falling ill overnight.
Chicken pox is usually more serious when contracted as an adult, meaning Hewitt's Australian Open appearance beginning Jan. 14 could be in jeopardy.
Tournament director Paul McNamee said he was surprised with Hewitt's performance after seeing the Australian arrive at the tournament site.
"Put it this way, there are players who wouldn't have played if they were in the same shape," McNamee said.
Suarez struggled with Molik's powerful serve in the first set of the women's singles, but took control in the tiebreaker when the 20-year-old Australian struggled to return serve.
After Molik won the second set, Suarez broke serve in the third game before trading service games to win the match.
Suarez struggled with Molik's powerful serve in the first set of the women's singles, but took control in the tiebreaker when the 20-year-old struggled to return serve.
Molik fought back in the second but in the third, Suarez broke her serve in the third game before trading service games to win the match.
Aussies take Hopman Cup tie
By Andrew Hamilton
Lleyton Hewitt received treatment before and after his Hopman Cup tie - but in between he dished it out as Australia defeated Argentina to move to the brink of a finals berth.
The second seeded pairing of Hewitt and Alicia Molik now just need a victory over Spain on Thursday to make the final after defeating Argentina 2-1 in the teams event at Perth's Burswood Dome.
A pale looking Hewitt received medical treatment this morning before taking the court and was whisked away for tests immediately after Australia's dramatic third set mixed doubles victory 5-7 6-3 7-6 (10-7).
Australia won the nailbiting super tie break 10-7 after entering the mixed doubles tied on 1-1 with the plucky South Americans.
The world No.1 displayed his legendary toughness when he levelled the tie with a straight sets victory over Mariano Zabaleta 6-3 6-4 after Molik's first-up loss to Paola Suarez 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4.
He started sluggishly and was broken in his first service game before he hit the accelerator and raced through the remainder of the match without dropping serve.
He looked pale after the 80 minute encounter but immediately stated his determination to secure the tie for Australia with victory in the mixed doubles.
"I don't feel great, that's no secret," Hewitt said, after receiving treatment from a doctor this morning after falling ill overnight.
"But I had to come out here and play well for Australia."
In a brief statement later delivered to the media, Hewitt said the nature of his illness was yet to be confirmed but stressed his determination to see out the tournament.
The Adelaide 20-year-old's toughness, which is considered one of the major strengths that swept him to the number one ranking last year on the heels of his breakthrough US Open victory, was severely tested against the fleet footed Zabaleta.
Tournament director Paul McNamee said Hewitt had endured a sleepless night and admitted surprise at his performance, given the condition he was in when he arrived at the Dome this morning.
"Put it this way, there are players who wouldn't have played if they were in the same shape," he said.
But, as is so often the case, he answered the call when his country needed him after Molik's courageous loss to Saurez who sits 20 places above her on 27 in the world rankings.
Suarez struggled with Molik's powerful serve in the first set, but took control in the tie break.
Molik, 20, fought back in the second to win 6-3 but in the third, Suarez broke her serve in the third game before trading service games to win the match.
Aussies recover in Perth (Rd 2)
Sportal
Australia has come from behind to beat Argentina 2-1 and keep its Hopman Cup title chances alive at the Burswood Casino in Perth.
Alicia Molik was beaten by Argentina's Paola Suarz in the opening rubber, but Lleyton Hewitt levelled the tie for Australia with a straight sets win over Mariano Zabaleta and Molik and Hewitt then teamed up to win the decisive mixed doubles rubber.
Suarez proved too strong in the decisive third set, winning 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4, but after finding himself down early in the second match with her compatriot Mariano Zabaleta, world number one Hewitt came firing back to win 6-3 6-4.
And in the mixed doubles, Argentina claimed the early advantage with a tough win in the first set, only for Molik and Hewitt to firstly level the match and then win it under the super tie-break format, 5-7 6-3 1-0 (10-7).
“I was feeling pretty confident going into the match, playing my second of this tournament, and after getting down an early break I felt I stepped it up a couple of notches and played some good tennis,” Hewitt said after his singles win over Zabaleta.
Hewitt entered the singles match under a cloud suffering from a high fever, and was 3-1 behind in the first set before he won the next five games in a row to claim the set, and went on to force the tie into the decisive mixed doubles.
“I don’t fell great, it’s no secret, but I had to come out here and play for the crowd and play for Australia and I came out here and played some pretty good tennis and it’s down to the mixed doubles now,” Hewitt said.
Earlier, Molik gave Suarez plenty of headaches in the first set with her strong serving, but the Argentine grabbed the upper hand when Molik struggled on her return of serve in the tie-break.
But after fighting back to claim the second set and level the match, Molik was broken in the third game of the deciding set, with Suarez going on to claim the match.
Australia now meets Spain as it bids to make the final, with Spanish duo Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario and Tommy
Robredo having also won both their ties so far.
Hewitt is harder work, says girlfriend Clijsters
PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - He may be ranked number one in the world but
Lleyton Hewitt could still learn a thing or two about tennis, according to his
girlfriend Kim Clijsters.
Belgian Clijsters completed a Hopman Cup victory over Italy with mixed doubles
partner Xavier Malisse before announcing: "That was great...and I didn't
have to do nearly as much as when I play mixed doubles with Lleyton."
Clijsters, a favourite with the crowds in Hewitt's homeland, grinned as she told
fans at the Burswood Dome: "Xavier hits the ball much harder than Lleyton.
I'll tell him, don't worry."
AUSTRALIA WIN HOPMAN CUP OPENER
AUSTRALIA has breezed through its first match in the Hyundai Hopman Cup
international tennis championship at Perth’s Burswood Dome.
Led by world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, Australia won both its singles matches
against defending champions Switzerland.
Hewitt took 105 minutes and overcame a mid-match slump to beat Roger Federer
6-3, 0-6, 6-4 after fellow-Adelaide youngster Alicia Molik had opened the Tie
with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Miroslava Vavrinec, in 71 minutes.
Hewitt struggled with his service in the second set, with Federer breaking three
times, but the Aussie recovered in the third set to hold control. His ability to
return Federer’s service was a crucial factor and he capitalised on three of
the four break points he held in the match, while the Swiss star had four breaks
from nine chances.
With the two Aussies making their Hopman Cup debuts, a record crowd of 8486 fans
filled the Dome and saw Australia wrap up the two opening singles rubbers in 3
hours, with the mixed doubles to follow.
Austalia wins
PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - World number one Lleyton Hewitt
has got his season off to a cracking start, beating 13th-ranked Roger Federer
6-3 0-6 6-4 as Australia whipped defending champions Switzerland in the XIV
Hopman Cup.
Hewitt's victory gave the hosts a winning 2-0 lead in the Group B match of the
mixed team event after Alicia Molik had earlier nosed Australia in front,
beating Miroslava Vavrinec 6-3 6-4.
"It's always tough, the first match of the season...only having a couple of
weeks after the Davis Cup and all that emotion it was pretty hard to come out
here and play," Hewitt said afterwards.
"I was pretty down after we lost the Davis Cup, but it has been an
incredible year."
Despite a schizophrenic performance which saw him blasted off court in the
second set, Hewitt thrilled a record 8,486 crowd at the Burswood Dome in Western
Australia with some powerful hitting from the back of the court.
The 20-year-old counter-puncher blew a hole in Federer's defences in the sixth
game of the opening set for the decisive break.
The Swiss player missed two break points of his own while trailing 5-3, dumping
a backhand in the net and sending a topspin lob centimetres long and Hewitt
sealed the set in just 29 minutes when Federer pushed a return beyond the
baseline.
Federer turned the game on its head in the second set, walloping winners all
over the court as Hewitt's concentration slipped and he began making
uncharacteristic errors on his groundstrokes.
But in the third set the 20-year-old produced the sort of form that brought him
a first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in September, sending Federer
scurrying about the court.
BOUNCE BACK
The Swiss could not get off the mark until the fifth game of the decider as
Hewitt imposed his game stretching into a 4-0 lead.
But once Federer had got on the scoreboard he again grew in confidence and
immediately broke the Australian before holding again to bounce back to a more
respectable 4-3.
That signalled an alarm for Hewitt and he dug deep, won his serve to love to
move within a game of victory.
A game later he served out for victory after 97 minutes of action.
Defending champions Switzerland won the mixed team event last time largely on
the strength of their women's number one Martina Hingis.
But with the inexperienced Vavrinec partnering Federer this time, their crown
looks decidedly unsteady.
Molik came out swinging freely on the opening match of the day to thrill the
home crowd.
But Vavrinec matched her 20-year-old opponent early on, the Swiss number five
pumping groundstrokes deep into the corners of the court.
Molik continued pressing forward, though, and got the breakthrough in the eighth
game.
Vavrinec nudged a tentative backhand into the net to hand Molik breakpoint and
the Australian made no mistake, whipping a backhand passing shot down the line.
Molik served out for the set, sliding a deep forehand volley into the corner and
punching away Vavrinec's weak reply on her first setpoint.
WINNING ACE
Molik, at a career-high 47 in the world, broke again in the first game of the
second set and, despite allowing Vavrinec a break back in the fourth game of the
set, kept her nose ahead, serving out the match with an ace after 70 minutes.
"The first match is always a nerve-wracking one," Molik said.
"She was pretty much an unknown going into that match and I just
concentrated on my own game...I'm happy with the way it went.
"I'm glad to put us 1-0 up because I may have to call on Lleyton later in
the week," she smiled.
Third seeds Spain take on Argentina later on Sunday in the evening session.
Hewitt faces a year full of challenge
Monday 31 December 2001
Lleyton Hewitt has spent the past month in Adelaide with his girlfriend, Kim
Clijsters, swallowing the disappointment of Davis Cup defeat, watching the
cricket and the new Tom Cruise film Vanilla Sky, playing golf and relaxing.
Perhaps, in a quiet moment, Hewitt also reflected on the past year and the
complication his remarkable rise may create. The problem, if one can call it
that: how to top what has gone before."I want to go and play footy
now," Hewitt joked after yesterday opening the new season with a three-set
win over Swiss Roger Federer at the Hopman Cup, his first match since winning
the fourth rubber in the Davis Cup final 28 days ago.
"But, obviously, my next big goal is the Australian Open. I don't put that
pressure (on) that I've got to win it, but I want to go out there and play as
well as I can and, if I can do that, then, I think, I'm in with a pretty good
shot."
In Hewitt's case, being underdone has not been the problem and even the
20-year-old claims to be unsure whether his warm-up successes of the past few
years have been for better or worse. He has kept open his options for next week,
while this week bypassing the home-town tournament that gave him his start.
Winning tennis means more tennis, but Hewitt said he had learnt to listen to his
body when it needed to rest. The four majors, along with Davis Cup, remain the
pillars upon which his schedule will be built.
"If you get the niggles, that's when you've got to stop putting (in). You
can't press too hard. You want to really have a long and great career, and I am
on the right track at the moment."
Sampras tips Hewitt to stay
number one
ADELAIDE, Australia (Reuters) - Pete Sampras believes Lleyton Hewitt can become
one of the all-time greats of men's tennis, describing the brash young
Australian as the future of the game.
"I have played all the great players in the game and he is a great
player," said Sampras, who held the number one ranking for a record six
successive years from 1993 to 1998.
"He will continue to be in the top of the game for as long as he wants to
be, he's definitely the future of tennis in my eyes."
Sampras was crushed by Hewitt in straight sets in the final of this year's U.S.
Open, costing him the chance of adding to his record collection of 13 grand slam
titles while giving Hewitt his first major title at just 20 years of age.
The Australian then went on to become the youngest man in tennis history to
finish the year ranked number one in the world.
Sampras said he thought Hewitt had already demonstrated he was capable of
staying at the top for a long time.
"It's hard to get there and it's twice as hard to stay there," Sampras
told reporters at the Australian men's hardcourt championship on Monday.
"It takes a great player, which Lleyton is but it also takes being able to
handle the pressures and being able to be the man to beat each week.
"I think he'll handle it fine because for a young guy, he's very mature and
he's mentally very strong.
"That being said, he is going to feel some pressure...but he's got the game
to back it up so he'll be fine."