Reid set for Hewitt master class

18dec02

THE teenager so often dubbed "the next Lleyton" flies to Adelaide today to catch up with the real thing.

Todd Reid, Wimbledon boys' champion and a certainty to win an Australian Open wildcard, will practise with Hewitt for the next three days.

Fresh from a week training at the Open camp at Melbourne Park, Reid has the rare opportunity of getting up close and personal with Hewitt on court.

"I've had nothing really to do with him," Reid said.

"I've had a chat to him now and then, but this will be a great opportunity."

The one-on-one sessions will be overseen by Hewitt's coach Jason Stoltenberg.

Another rising baseliner, Raph Durek, has returned from Adelaide after a similar stint with the world No. 1.

"Lleyton's acknowledged the fact these young bucks are the future of the sport so he's really trying to embrace them," Tennis Australia's head of men's tennis Peter Johnston said yesterday.

"I think the young players have earned their stripes as well. They have shown with results and work ethic they are exciting prospects. It's a win-win thing."

Reid, an aggressive baseliner, loves a scrap, just like Hewitt. This year the 18-year-old from Sydney took sets off Greg Rusedski and Nicolas Escude.

"It's not like Todd's that far away from it. He can compete with guys in senior ranks," Johnston said. "It's not like he's the little junior as such."

Although Reid and Hewitt are so often linked, unlike others Reid missed the opportunity to be a regular warm-up partner for the world No. 1 during Wimbledon.

"Lleyton hooked up with most of the guys when they were playing juniors at Wimbledon, but Todd kept winning so his schedule was full and he couldn't warm Lleyton up," Johnston said.

When Davis Cup came around in Adelaide in September, Reid was playing tournaments when the team was looking for an "orange boy" and hit-up partner.

That job went to another of Australia's promising next wave, Ryan Henry, who has now struck up a strong relationship with Hewitt.

Australian Davis Cup coach Wally Masur said: "It has got to the point now where they'll be overseas and Lleyton needs someone to warm him up he'll grab Ryan.

"Now that's got to be a good thing . . . Fitzy (John Fitzgerald) and I stood back and we're happy about that. It's a nice little tradition.

"As Rafter was good with Lleyton, Lleyton has been good with Ryan Henry."

THE first phase of the Australian Open starts at Melbourne Park with matches over the next three days.

Thirty-two players - 16 men and 16 women - will fight for wildcards into the Open qualifying.

With the lucrative rewards on offer by simply taking part in grand slam qualifying events, anyone with a world ranking higher than about 230 must qualify for the "quallies".

Two men's and two women's wildcards are up for grabs for those who get through to the final stage of this week's knockout event.

Durek, who has had the perfect warm-up with Hewitt all week, is one of the favourites to get through

Wise young men follow star west

December 13 2002
By Linda Pearce



When the invitations to the inaugural Australian Open training camp were distributed earlier this year, Lleyton Hewitt declined, preferring to end his demanding season at home in Adelaide than away at Melbourne Park. That inspired an alternative plan: rather than bring Hewitt to the camp, why not take part of the camp, Mohammed-like, to Hewitt?

Over the next fortnight, the beneficiaries of practice sessions with the world No. 1 will be Wimbledon junior champion Todd Reid and several of his Australian Institute of Sport teammates such as Ryan Henry and Raph Durek.

Reid is expected to spend three days in Adelaide next week, with the balance of the roster to be filled as necessary.

"I think Lleyton really acknowledges the guys' potential, their work ethic, so he wants to integrate them into his training over the next couple of weeks," Tennis Australia's head of men's tennis, Peter Johnston, said yesterday. "He's more comfortable staying in Adelaide at the moment, and we respect that, so we've tried to find a way to work that in."

The link is John McCurdy, Hewitt's former Octagon agent and now the head AIS coach, while Hewitt's coach, Jason Stoltenberg, has co-driven the idea. Its genesis came at Wimbledon, where the six Australians in the boys' singles rotated on warm-up duty as Hewitt swept the senior event.

"It just follows on a little bit from Wimbledon, and Lleyton's keen to do it, really," McCurdy said. "He's got a real interest in the young guys that are coming up. It's just a great and quite unique opportunity for us, so we're taking advantage of it. He's No. 1 in the world, so it's just a great experience for some of these young boys to spend some time with him."

Stoltenberg recently arrived in Adelaide to oversee Hewitt's summer preparations, the 21-year-old's four-week break having included his acceptance of the No. 1 ticket-holder duties for Adelaide's Crows and 36ers, some charity appearances and a north Queensland holiday with girlfriend Kim Clijsters.

Hewitt's potential doubles partner Mark Philippoussis, with Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge, has been hitting regularly with the institute players in recent days, further accelerating their learning curve. Reid, for example, was so struck by the big server's immense power that he apparently could not fathom how Philippoussis could not be the best player in the world.

Andrew Ilie is due to join the Melbourne Park workout soon, having returned to the match court at a Bangkok exhibition against Asian sensation Paradorn Srichaphan. Arthurs, too, has taken a long break, capitalising on the six-week window opened by Australia's failure to reach the Davis Cup final for the first time in four years.

"We've had a chance to have a little bit of an off-season," said Arthurs, the Australian No. 2, whose best Open result was a third-round appearance in 2001.

"I've put in a lot of hard work off the court, rather than actually playing, and I feel a lot fitter and better prepared for this Aussie Open than I have the last couple of years."

Hewitt the Crows' No. 1
5:00:39 PM Mon 9 December, 2002
Alan Shiell
afc.com.au


Lleyton Hewitt, the world’s No. 1 tennis player, is Adelaide Football Club’s new No. 1 ticket-holder.

And prominent South Australian businessman/benefactor Robert Gerard, No. 1 ticket-holder for the past six years, has become the club’s first patron.

The appointments were announced by Adelaide chairman Bob Campbell and chief executive officer Steven Trigg at a media conference at AAMI Stadium on Monday.

Campbell said Gerard was known to all South Australians as “an incredibly generous person to sport in this state”.


“In particular, he has provided the Adelaide Football Club with very considerable financial support and, indeed, very visible public support since the club’s inception in 1991,” Campbell said.

“We are delighted to announce he has been elevated to the position of club patron, which is very much in keeping with the type of support he has provided over a long period of time.”

Trigg said Hewitt had been one of the Crows’ official ambassadors since 1999.

“He has also provided us with great promotion in press conferences in New York to training sessions in Spain, and, more than that, Lleyton is what you would describe as, I think it’s fair to say, a fanatical Crows supporter,” Trigg said.

“He can often be seen around the club, having a kick on (Max) Basheer Reserve and, more than on a couple of occasions, rubbing shoulders with the players, most recently giving an address to our group on the topic of concentration, which I know was a very important session.”

Trigg presented Hewitt with the No. 1 gold membership ticket and explained that he was the No. 1 ticket-holder. The club also had entertainer Greg Champion as the No. 1 ticket-holder in Melbourne and SANFL legend Peter Carey (448 senior games with Glenelg and 19 for SA from 1971-88) as the No. 1 ticket-holder in Tasmania, where Carey is working in a senior management position with Coca-Cola.

Hewitt, accompanied by his girlfriend and international tennis ace, Kim Clijsters and his father, Glynn, described his appointment as “a fantastic honour”.

“I’ve come down here since 1991 and watched the boys play every week – week in, week out – and it was always my dream just to meet the guys,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to meet them on a lot of occasions so far and for me to come in here and have a chat with them all during the finals campaign this year was pretty special for me.

“So this tops it off once again. To be really a part of the Adelaide Football Club is fantastic.”

Asked (facetiously) how it compared with being No. 1 in tennis, Hewitt smiled and said: “I’m No. 1 in both. As long as I’m No. 1, I’m doing all right.”

When asked whether he would like to have played AFL football, Hewitt said: “Yes, sometimes. There’s no doubt about it. When I was growing up, it’s no secret that football was my No. 1 sport.

“I preferred playing footy and I loved the team atmosphere. There’s nothing better than being in the rooms before a match and getting everyone fired up.

“That’s the tough thing about tennis. It’s a very individual sport. You’ve got to go around pretty much 11 months of the year, travelling by yourself with your coach.

“I think my kind of football really shows in my Davis Cup because Davis Cup in a team competition we don’t get to do that often. So when we come together as a team, I think that really helps me. And coming from a football background, a team background, I think that really helps me in Davis Cup situations.”

Hewitt said he followed the Crows every match via the Internet (afl.com.au and afc.com.au) when he played overseas and he watched some games on videotapes sent to him.

He named Andrew McLeod, Mark Ricciuto and Mark Bickley as being among his favourite Adelaide players, and said he was “as excited as anyone about Wayne Carey playing for the Crows” next season.

“I think everyone knows what a gun he’s been through his whole career,” he said. “He’s a South Australian and it’s great to have him back. I’m not the coach or anything, but he looks pretty good for our forward line.

“I look up to so many of these guys. Nigel Smart was there for the first game (in 1991) … I used to walk over here (from his parents’ West Lakes home) with my dad and watch the guys train and play when I was only nine or 10 years old, so for me to be talking to those guys and answering questions is a bit weird – surreal in a lot of ways.

“The most nervous thing I think I’ve done all year was put on the Crows’ guernsey before the ‘Slowdown’ match (mainly for past players). A Wimbledon final’s nothing compared with that (!)”

Hewitt, 21, comes from a strong football family. His paternal grandfather, Max, was a rugged half-back with West Adelaide and his father, Glynn, and his uncle, Daryl, Glynn’s brother, also were fine, long-serving SANFL footballers who had brief VFL careers.

Glynn, 50 next month, was a stylish, long-kicking forward who played 289 matches – 119 with West Adelaide, 80 with Woodville, 86 with South Adelaide and four for South Australia from 1970-86 –plus 15 with Richmond in 1973-74.

Daryl, now 44, was a tenacious onballer who played 266 SANFL matches – 66 with Woodville, 51 with West Adelaide and 149 with South Adelaide from 1975-92 – plus 26 with St Kilda in 1981-82.

Laver: Hewitt can match me
By Adrian McGregor
The Australian
December 7, 2002

LLEYTON HEWITT could win the grand slam but he would need good fortune as well as great talent to pull it off, according to the last man to achieve the feat, Rod Laver.

"He's certainly capable of putting it together because he plays well on slow courts, proved he can play on grass and is just as good on hard courts," Laver said. "But it's definitely tougher than in my day. We had 20-30 tough players out there and if you weren't playing them you had a chance.

"You wouldn't get to meet them until the round of 16, whereas now you've got a tough match the very first round."

Laver said he did not have Hewitt's intensity but had a similar ability to play well under pressure.

"His great asset is that he seems to play his best tennis when the match gets tough," he said. "I guess I was a little more lackadaisical. I used to find myself down a set and a break and have to fight to creep back up again."

Laver, the only player to win the grand slam twice, was speaking in Rockhampton where he has returned for the first time in 30 years.

Known as the Rockhampton Rocket, Laver, 65, was made a Legend of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in Melbourne this week.

He has returned to Rockhampton, where he was born, to receive a hero's welcome as the town closes its streets for a parade and unveiling of a bronze bust of him at a riverside Walk of Fame ceremony.

"It's a great honour," he said. "I left Rockhampton nearly 50 years ago and the last time I was here I was on the professional tennis circuit playing Pancho Gonzales."

Laver was one of several young players of his era from rural Australia who achieved success on the world circuit.

"Mal Anderson came from Monto, Tony Roche from Tarcutta and Roy Emerson from Blackbutt," he said.

"Tiny towns provided the good players then, you didn't have to be in the big cities to make your mark in tennis.

"It's a different world today, but if I could do it from Rockhampton any country kid can still get there if they have the desire and interest."

Laver, who had a stroke in 1998 in Los Angeles where he lives, says his health is fine provided he doesn't allow himself to become overtired.

"I'm enjoying life, playing golf and tennis," he said "I feel like I'm leading 5-0, 40-0 and serving."

Laver gives Hewitt a tick (Herald Sun)
By RON REED
07dec02

LLEYTON Hewitt, the world's best tennis player, can get even better, according to one of his most admiring fans.


He just has to learn how to shorten his rallies and win some points a little more quickly to save energy and reduce the strain on his relatively fragile physique.

The advice couldn't be any more authoritative. It comes from Rod Laver, who many believe to be the best player the world has seen.

Laver, winner of 11 major tournaments and two Grand Slams in the 1960s, was in Melbourne this week to be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and elevated to the elite category of Legend.

Hewitt, who added this year's Wimbledon crown to last year's US Open triumph and defended his No. 1 ranking, declined an invitation to the induction dinner, even though he is in Australia on holiday.

That seemed a pity, because although Hewitt will not be eligible for membership of the Hall of Fame until he has been retired for two years -- and he's only 21 now -- it was a missed opportunity for a priceless meeting of the past and the present and future of Australian tennis.

Laver paid him a lavish and sincere public compliment, nonetheless.

"To be this great so young is a great thing," he said.

And in an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun, he said: "I marvel at his ability to play the game."

The old king and the heir to the throne met a couple of years ago when they had an exhibition hit-up to open Vodafone Arena, the No. 2 court to Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park.

"He was kind enough to hit them right to me," Laver recalled with a laugh.

The rest of us -- and probably the two of them, for that matter -- can only wonder what it might have been like watching them in a fair-dinkum showdown for, say, the Wimbledon crown, if Laver could be granted a day's flashback to his peak.

There is no doubt Laver would be expecting one of the toughest tussles of his life.

Asked to identify Hewitt's strength, he said: "The fight that he has.

"He never lets the ball stop. He keeps plugging away until the point is ended.

"It's uncanny how he can keep that ball going from the baseline and never make any errors.

"He's sort of the Bjorn Borg of today. Borg could play for ever.

"Lleyton is uncanny how he can concentrate as well as he does, and his fitness is a great asset.

"He doesn't overpower anyone, necessarily. The power he has is the pressure he keeps on players.

"I don't know if they crack necessarily, but mistakes start to creep in, and the more they creep in, the more aggressively he keeps playing.

"He just wears you down.

"I guess you could say the same thing about (Andre) Agassi. He tends to wear people down by pin-pointing them, making them run.

"Lleyton seems very confident he can beat Andre and that's because he's got such wheels. He's so quick around the court. He and Borg are the two players who could get to anything."

Asked if his relentless style might eventually extract a physical price that could affect the rest of Hewitt's career, Laver nodded.

"The only thing about his game is he has to work so hard to win every game, every match," he said. "When you've got to win seven matches in a row, there's no easy way out of that, the way he plays.

"With the serve-volley feature, you can get rid of points quickly and eliminate the long rallies that seem to be his trait.

"He's got a lot of tennis left in him, but he may need to look at himself and think, `I can get to the net on this and put it away rather than waiting for an error or wearing him down'.

"I think that's one of the features he will come to eventually – get rid of some of the points a little quicker. Maybe he might sneak in a little more and get a little more punch in his volleys, although he volleys well.

"He does everything well.

"People tend to think he's not the ideal champion type, but he's got every shot. But spectators don't see it. They just see another ball being hit back and that's not the case.

"He sees it ticking over in his mind, where he wants to be all the time and how he wants to win the point. The general spectator doesn't understand what's going on out there."

For all his obvious admiration of the youngster, Laver baulks at an invitation to declare him the best Australian player since ... well, since himself.

Laver is firmly in the school of thought that insists sportsmen from different eras cannot be compared. Either that, or he is reluctant to risk implicit criticism of his own contemporaries.

That might especially be the case given that he told the Hall of Fame dinner that when he was playing, Australia had all the best players -- which is probably only a mild exaggeration.

"It's about what your record is," he said. "That's the only thing you can get your teeth into.

"Lleyton has done that with the US and Wimbledon, and if he pulls off the French at some stage, he is potentially a great champion.

"To come along and be recognised as No. 1 two years in a row against tough competition -- and there's plenty of it out there -- he's pulled that off.

"So I don't put him anywhere other than he's just a great player at the moment."

Laver also is not among the critics who have given Hewitt a hard time over his behaviour and attitude on and off court.

"His court demeanour has certainly ... I shouldn't say improved, it's mature now," Laver said.

"A lot of people gave him some grief because ... well, we shouldn't even discuss that side of it.

"He's a different player now."

Slow down, doc tells Hewitt
By John Thirsk
06dec02
AUSTRALIA's leading immunologist, Professor John Dwyer, believes Lleyton Hewitt should cut back on his tournament schedule next year if he wants to remain the world's No.1 player.
A professor of medicine at the University of NSW, Dr Dwyer has told Hewitt he is asking too much of his body and runs the risk of "over-training phenomenon" - when athletes get sick because of excessive exercise and insufficient recovery.
Still battling health problems after contracting chicken pox last year, Hewitt had sought Prof Dwyer's help after referrals from his family doctor in Adelaide.
Hewitt already credits Prof Dwyer with helping him become the first Australian to hold successive end-of-year world No.1 rankings.
Prof Dwyer suggested to Hewitt that he should withdraw from the Tennis Masters Series event in Madrid on October 14 so he could stay healthy for his assault on the ATP Tennis Masters Cup - and the No.1 ranking.
"Sometime during the period after winning Wimbledon and the US Open, Lleyton contracted a gastric intestinal infection," Dr Dwyer said.
"It caused his fitness to decrease a bit, but he kept playing because of commitments.
"Talking to Lleyton, there was a clash between what a doctor would normally say to a patient about going easy on yourself and recovering from an infection and all the commitments he had.
"Lleyton is terribly conscious about the responsibility he has to all the people who put on these tournaments.
"Before the Madrid tournament, when I spoke regularly to him, it became clear to me he had not allowed himself to fully recover from the gastric bug.
"He was playing too much and I felt from a medical point of view he would not give the best of himself in Madrid and that he really wanted to end the year at No.1.
"I spoke to Jason Stoltenberg (coach) and strongly recommended that if Lleyton was to have any chance of ending the year at No.1 it would he advisable to pull out of Madrid.
"It was important for him to give himself a couple of weeks for his body to fully recover and he went on to play better and better."
Talking to Alan Jones on his radio 2GB breakfast show yesterday, Hewitt said: "I'm getting better and better.
"I've got to admit there was a professor in Sydney who I was talking to day in and day out while I was away.
"He actually made the decision for me to pull out of Madrid and he told me to trust his decision and it will all pay off, so I guess I owe him a lot of credit for helping me out."
Prof Dwyer said Hewitt was generally in great health.
"Suggestions that Lleyton has a weak immune system couldn't be further from the truth," Mr Dwyer said.
"He is a superbly fit athlete.
"As an immunologist, I think too many athletes demand too much of themselves - and it can affect their health.
"Some of our top athletes are trying to do too much and from a medical point of view I think it would serve Lleyton well, despite his responsibilities, to play a little less.
"I think he has been punishing his young body by playing week in and week out.
"He should slightly pull back from his schedule next year and plan it a bit more carefully."

Rocky is my inspiration, says Hewitt

Lleyton Hewitt's shouts of "C'mon Balboa" will be heard for some time judging by his comments to an Adelaide radio station.



Hewitt was asked what gave him the mental strength to win the gruelling Masters Cup in Shanghai against the world's best players last month, retaining the No.1 ranking along the way, despite his preparation being hampered by fitness problems.

"Everyone's going to laugh but it's still the old Rocky movies," Hewitt told 5AA.

Hewitt said the fictional boxer, played by Sylvester Stallone in the five-movie series, was an inspiration with his determination to win against all odds.

"It's a movie, but for me I love that fighting spirit, that never-say-die attitude and I think it comes across in the way I play the game," Hewitt said.

In the Masters Cup final against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, Hewitt staged a dramatic fightback from a break of serve down in the fifth set to win the title.

"It may sound silly but for me I think it really helped me out there," Hewitt said.

"I started focusing like that, I refused to give in, I told myself `we're still a chance out here', even when I was down.

"As long as you don't get too negative on yourself in that situation and you keep believing there's always a small possibility you can get out of matches like that."

Hewitt is regularly heard to shout "Come on Rocky" or "Come on Balboa" while thumping his heart with his fist at crucial stages during his matches.

Lleyton makes a raquet
by Graem Sims

A bad worker blames his tools. but a good worker can't praise them enough . . .

You win a couple of grand slams, you can be expected to take particular care what sort of tennis racquet you use. And few pros appear to care more than world beater Lleyton Hewitt. We've all seen it after every point: the meticulous Lleyton picking at his strings, reorganising them to the nearest micrometre. What are we talking here? Is this the equivalent of a nervous twitch, or is he making minute adjustments that could make the difference whether he wins the next point or not? Better believe it.

"I prefer playing with a very stiff racquet," says Hewitt. "I feel that it controls my return of serve a little better, which is such a big part of my game. With a flexible racquet, I feel like I'm not controlling the ball. Also, I can't get the tension in the strings right with a flexible racquet. As you see, I'm very cautious when I'm straightening the strings when I'm playing. And the racquet I use now actually keeps the strings closer together than other racquets I used to play with, and that was a huge improvement for me."

A big enough mprovement to take him from a ranking of 160 in the world all the way to the top of the pile? The folks from Yonex would like to think so. It was back in late 1998 that they shipped a pile of racquets Hewitt's way after he'd announced that he was interested in looking at different brands. "I was staying at Newk's ranch at the time. Yonex sent over some frames from Japan straight away. I was testing a lot of other racquets, but it was during that time that I picked up a Yonex and actually threw my other racquets out."

Okay, we can expect Lleyton to say nice things about Yonex. Whereas the rest of us save up to buy our toys, Hewitt (naturally) gets paid to use them, and recently announced an extension of his relationship with the Japanese firm worth seven figures up until 2005.

With a player who knows the view from the world No 1 spot on their side, Yonex hope to take their Australian market share in the $35 million a year tennis retail business from around five per cent right up into the 20s.

But he wouldn't be playing them if he didn't like them - and if the manufacturers weren't open to suggestions.

This is what you might call "clout".

"The racquet testing is a big part of it," he explains. "They're always open to ideas from the players, always sending guys over to be with me in my weeks off to see how they can improve their technology.

That's a huge bonus, to have that kind of commitment to me and listen to what I've got to say." It happens several times a year, in between tournaments. "Normally they'd bring over eight or nine different racquets which are all very similar. If a recreational player picked them up they'd swear they were the same racquet, but I can feel a little bit of a difference in it whether I'm at the net volleying or whether I'm at the baseline . . ."

So, what does he actually use?
Hewitt won Wimbledon playing a Yonex MP (MusclePower) Tour 1. "I started using it around 18 months ago. The first tournament I played with it was the Tokyo outdoor event, which I won."

What's so special about it?
"This one has a different kind of string pattern. I believe it's also an advantage that Yonex make all their racquets in Japan. [Though they're supposed to be the same models], other racquets I've tried in the past have different weights coming out of different factories around the world. For me that's a huge bonus."

How many balls does he have to hit before he knows a racquet is for him?
"Sometimes a lot - sometimes I can feel it straight away. It's nice to have four or five days off, put down all your old racquets, and try and work out which one's playing maybe a little bit better than the current one you're using, or whether they can make just a slight adjustment to try and improve it. It's always a tough situation with racquets being such a touchy thing with a tennis player. You get used to so many racquets, which is why it's great to see such small changes."

At every match, Lleyton takes to the court with between nine and 12 racquets in his bag. "That's because the racquets are strung at different tensions, depending whether the balls are heavier or who

I'm playing on the day. It's more of a precaution, a back-up.

I might feel like I need a little more stick on the ball, so I'll use one of my racquets strung a little bit looser to get more power."

Has he ever owned a magic racquet? "During Wimbledon I did have a couple of favourites. I always made sure they were the first ones strung the night before, and I'd make sure they had fresh strings. I'd warm up with the same racquet the whole time during Wimbledon, and then I'd always go out and start with those same racquets. But you're always going to break strings no matter what you use. Because I use a gut string in my racquet, it breaks a lot quicker than the synthetics. So no, I can't finish a five-setter with the one racquet."

Australian ruling body puts heat on ATP over Hewitt

November 29 2002
By Linda Pearce
The Age

As Lleyton Hewitt plundered his second Masters Cup in Shanghai earlier this month, Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard was engaged in an off-court battle on Hewitt's behalf.

Pollard met Association of Tennis Professionals chief executive Mark Miles to criticise the drawn-out nature of the appeal process dealing with the record fine levied on the world No. 1.

Hewitt was fined $193,000 for allegedly refusing a mandatory pre-event interview with host broadcaster CNN at the Cincinnati Masters in early August. His appeal, held in New York and to which Hewitt contributed by teleconference from China, was not heard until early November. The decision of a retired judge and former players Jakob Hlasek and Richey Reneberg has not been announced.

"What's concerning us now is how long it's taken to resolve an issue that, in our view, should have been cleaned up very quickly," Pollard said.

"We're certainly on record with the ATP, and have been right from the day it happened, of saying that even if (Hewitt) is guilty - and there's some debate that the fine is out of kilter with anything realistic, and with any other fines ever levied against a tennis player - and we've now told them that the time they've taken to resolve the issue is much too long."

Pollard said Miles' response was that the finding would be known "very soon". He said there was provision for both Hewitt and the ATP to provide written submissions within a week of the hearing.

"But even that is now nearly two weeks ago that I spoke personally to (Miles) and told him that the time coming to a decision is as ridiculous as the amount Lleyton was fined," Pollard said.

Clearly, Tennis Australia is keen to show its support for its great asset and avoid any perceptions of a lack of support. Tennis Australia protested to the ATP in writing within days of the fine being levied, and has once again leapt to the defence of its Davis Cup anchor and local drawcard.

The ATP has attempted to deal with the matter as privately as possible, painfully aware of its strained relations with its young champion. Officials have steadfastly refused to comment, or to make public any details of the appeal, saying only that a decision is imminent.

Excerpted from the Dec. 2002/Jan. 2003 issue of TENNIS Magazine
http://tennis.com


INSTRUCTION: What You Can Learn from Lleyton Hewitt's Game

Aussie Rules
Mental toughness, high-percentage play, and an innate sense of strategy make Lleyton Hewitt a great tennis role model.

By Patrick McEnroe
(Patrick McEnroe, the U.S. Davis Cup captain, is a tennis analyst for ESPN and CBS)

Everyone says that today’s game, especially at the pro level, is all about power. I guess everyone forgot to tell the top men’s player in the world. Lleyton Hewitt hasn’t used a power game to win two Grand Slam titles and become the youngest player, at 20, to finish a year ranked No. 1. For the 5-foot-11 Hewitt, succeeding at tennis is not about bulk or brawn. It’s about playing within himself, hitting high-percentage shots, covering the court, and rarely giving his opponents a free point. For years people (including myself) questioned whether Hewitt had enough game to win major championships. So much for us naysayers. And if his relatively simple style has gotten him to No. 1, think what it can do for you.

Secret Service

The most underrated part of Hewitt’s game is his serve. He doesn’t have an over-powering delivery and doesn’t pile up aces, but he hits his spots well, especially on big points, and mixes up his spins and placements to set up his ground strokes. The result is an effective serving game that yields many cheap points and is tough to break.

I remember saying before this past Wimbledon that if Hewitt could take care of his serve he would win the tournament. He did the first, and the second took care of itself. To Hewitt’s credit, he has increased the pace of his serve since he started on tour and now routinely hits his first serves around 115 m.p.h. But it’s the way he uses his serve more than its speed that makes it special. He puts the ball in the exact spot he wants; most of the time, that’s to an opponent’s weakness. Sure, he mixes up his serves to keep his opponent off balance, but when he needs to get a point he goes after his opponent’s weaker wing. By applying pressure in a big moment, even without hitting an ace Hewitt gets a free point or a weak return. It’s a strategy that every server, especially those lacking power, should use.

Return the Favor

In my opinion, Hewitt has the best return of serve in the men’s game. Agassi can be more destructive with his returns, but Hewitt puts more balls in play. And if you want to have a good return game, the first thing it’s got to be is consistent. Hewitt has surprisingly long arms, which give him incredible reach on the return. He reminds me of Jimmy Connors in that if he gets his racquet on the ball, not only is it coming back, but it’s coming back in a position that allows him to stay in the point. Even when he’s at full stretch, Hewitt can hit a return that doesn’t give his opponent an opportunity to hit a winner. He has great balance, quick hands, and he reads his opponent’s serve well. It would be hard for the everyday player to suddenly acquire these traits, but you should adopt the mind-set that you’re going to do everything you can to get your returns back in play. You don’t need to take big risks or go for winners to be a good returner. You’d be amazed at how demoralized and pressured an opponent will feel if his serves continually come back.

Fancy Feet

People interested in seeing great footwork should pay attention to Hewitt’s feet when he’s not hitting the ball. He’s constantly moving and getting himself in perfect position for the next shot. Because Hewitt stays so low to the ground he has incredible balance. Generally, when you’re going after a wide shot or one that has you scrambling, by the time you get there you’re going to be hitting a low ball. Too many recreational players stay upright when they move and have trouble with low balls. Hewitt’s ability to stay low while on the run allows him to hit remarkable shots from awkward positions.

What I also love about Hewitt’s movement is the way he anticipates. He’s obviously extremely quick, but when he’s hitting a shot he’s already thinking where his opponent’s next ball is going to go. He sets up points so well that he can be thinking two, even three, shots ahead. So not only does he use his speed, he uses his head as well. And just as with the return of serve, when Hewitt tracks down a tough shot, he puts it back in a position where his opponent can’t hurt him. Plenty of players can chase down balls, but they just loop them back in play. Hewitt always has a purpose with his shots.

Leader of the Pack

How a player performs with a lead often determines his success. For instance, many recreational players think that when they’re up a break and serving for the set they have to do something extraordinary to close it out. They get tight and miss shots that have been working for them all match. Lleyton Hewitt is a killer with a lead. That’s because when he gets ahead he plays even more consistently than when the match was even. He sends a message to his opponent that if he wants to get back into this match he’s going to have to raise his play because Hewitt isn’t going to give anything away. It really puts pressure on the other player not to fall behind, which ultimately causes him to do just that. If Hewitt is trailing, that’s when he’ll come to net a little more or take a few more chances to try and even things up. But when he has the lead, Hewitt puts the clamp on his opponents with his consistency.

You Can’t Teach Speed

If you look at Hewitt’s game, there’s no one shot that would scare an opponent. He doesn’t have a forehand like Roddick or serve like Sampras, yet he’s still an intimidating player. He doesn’t have any holes in his game, but it’s the intangibles that are Hewitt’s biggest weapons. His speed and court coverage are tremendous. He gets to shots that no human has any business getting a racquet on. And he’s steady. I don’t just mean his strokes; I’m talking about his overall play and mentality. He doesn’t hit many peaks and valleys. Most players have moments of sublime play, then mediocre periods. But Hewitt rarely dips. He just cruises along, and over the course of a long match that’s what makes him so tough to beat. He challenges his opponents to play at an extremely high level throughout the match. Players know going in that it’s going to take a huge effort to beat him.

They also know that Hewitt gives nothing away. There are no easy games or sets against him. An opponent’s 40-love lead can quickly become deuce. Hewitt could be down 5-1 in a set but his confidence and supreme concentration won’t allow him to give up. Over the years people have given him grief about his yelling and fist pumping, but it’s his intensity that gives him a mental edge. So while there are other players who may have more talent, he more than makes up for it with speed, tenacity, court sense, and sheer will. And when you put them all together, it makes playing Hewitt a daunting task.

Additional comments in the feature:
· Hewitt’s long reach, great anticipation, and fast feet make him the best retriever in the game
· It’s not a cannonball, yet Hewitt has a tough serve because he hits his spots and mixes up pace and direction well
· Hewitt is not only great at getting his returns back in play, but he puts them in a spot where his opponent can’t hurt him
· Hewitt will hit on the rise to take time away from his opponents
· If Hewitt doesn’t have a clean look at a pass, he’ll make his opponent beat him with a volley. That’s smart, patient tennis. This pressures the opponent to come up with a good shot, otherwise Hewitt will get another opportunity at a pass.

Judgment awaited on Hewitt-ATP skirmish
November 26 2002
By Linda Pearce

Lleyton Hewitt's appeal hearing over being fined three months ago for refusing a pre-tournament interview has quietly taken place in Long Island, New York. Although a resolution to the messy dispute involving the world's top-ranked tennis player, the men's governing body and the steepest fine in tour history is expected within weeks, the exact cost borne by both sides - and not just financially - may never be known.

While no official information was forthcoming yesterday, The Age has learnt that the hearing was held shortly before the Tennis Masters Cup, which Hewitt won in Shanghai nine days ago, and included flights from Adelaide to enable his parents, Glynn and Cherilyn, to provide their version of events.

Hewitt is seeking the withdrawal of his $193,000 fine for refusing a pre-event interview with host broadcaster ESPN at the Cincinnati Masters in August. ATP chief executive Mark Miles indicated later that he intended to recommend a vast reduction in the penalty, while Hewitt's agent, Tom Ross, insisted that nothing less than full exoneration and an apology from the ATP would do.

Brad Drewett, vice-president of the ATP's International Group, said yesterday: "I don't know when the resolution's going to be, and I really can't comment."

The outcome is being determined by an ATP-appointed panel comprising former players Richey Reneberg and Jakob Hlasek, as well as a retired judge. Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald and his United States counterpart, Patrick McEnroe, an ESPN commentator, both excused themselves from appeals duty.

Octagon's Rob Aivatoglou, Hewitt's Australian agent, said no decision date had been foreshadowed. "Not to my knowledge; we are literally just waiting," Aivatoglou said. "We feel we're in a strong position, but we just have to wait for the result to come through."

Aivatoglou said the preference had been for a resolution before the Masters Cup. "The sooner it's resolved, the happier we, and I'm sure Lleyton, will be."

The ATP has said it hopes Hewitt will reconsider his threat to surrender the No. 1 ranking - through playing fewer tournaments next year and concentrating on the International Tennis Federation-run grand slam and Davis Cup events - in protest.

But, regardless, it appears the ATP's relations with its No. 1 player, still just 21, have soured to the point that they may never be fully restored.

The quantifiable costs have also been substantial. Several estimates have placed the ATP's legal and other costs at significantly more than the amount of the fine itself, while merely the first-class flights to New York for Hewitt's parents are unlikely to have left much change out of $30,000.

The WTA, meanwhile, is not without its own problems, having confirmed that it will lose its title sponsor, Sanex, next year. Although Sanex will not renew its three-year deal, the company will continue to sponsor the tour in a greatly reduced role.

In the US, Taylor Dent has appointed Brad Stine to replace his Australian coach, Paul Kilderry. Stine guided Jim Courier to No. 1 in 1992, when he won the first of his two Australian Open titles.

Just a simple love story

by Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated

Nice as it is, Singapore's Changi International Airport is not a place you'd want to kill 12 hours waiting for your boyfriend. But last weekend Kim Clijsters, the No. 4 player on the WTA Tour, arrived on a flight from Belgium and then spent half a day aimlessly strolling the concourses, getting a massage and doing some heavy-duty duty-free shopping. Eventually her beau, Lleyton Hewitt, the top player on the ATP Tour, flew in from China. We can only hope that Hewitt had the good sense, knowing he was in arrears, to pay for dinner before they left together on a flight to Australia.

Tennis has had a rich history of intramural romances. Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors were briefly engaged in the 1970s, and Evert eventually married another pro, John Lloyd. Though Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf didn't date until after her retirement in 1999, they need a separate wing on their house to accommodate all their trophies. Jennifer Capriati and Xavier Malisse were inseparable for a year; the day they parted company, they resuscitated their careers.

Still, it's safe to say that few couples have had to endure the logistical hurdles of Hewitt, 21, and Clijsters, 19. He's based in Adelaide, Australia, the down under of Down Under, and she calls Bree, Belgium, home. Together, they log tens of thousand of air miles and rack up four-figure monthly phone bills to keep the flame burning. "It's not easy," said Clijsters, who spends three months a year with Hewitt in Australia. "When it's possible, we try to be together when one of us is playing and the other has a week off."

Whatever, it hasn't hurt their games. Earlier this month Clijsters upset top-ranked Serena Williams in the final to win the WTA Tour's year-end championship in Los Angeles. It marked the biggest title of her career. Five days later, Hewitt equaled her feat, winning the Masters Cup -- the men's season-ending lollapalooza -- in front of an SRO crowd in Shanghai. In so doing, he defended his year-end No. 1 ranking. The couple's combined haul from the two events: $2.1 million, a Porsche Carrera (hers) and a Mercedes CLK 320 (his). "I guess I get 50 percent of that," said Hewitt. "So it's all right."

By all outward appearances, this is a classic case of opposites attracting. Clijsters is cavity-inducing sweet and exceptionally popular on tour -- she makes a habit of making unpublicized visits to children's hospitals during tournaments -- if a bit naive at times. Asked in L.A. whether her muscular legs were a factor in her success, Clijsters was puzzled: "If I would have no legs, I wouldn't have won." Hewitt, on the other hand, has more than a little "mongrel in him," as the Aussies would say. A fierce fighter on the court, it sometimes seems like he is shouldering a chip the size of Ayers Rock. Before his first match in Shanghai, he spent hours on a speakerphone appealing a $100,000 fine he incurred from the ATP last summer for blowing off a mandatory television interview.

So, too, is their tennis a study in contrasts. At 5-foot-10, Clijsters is a charter member of the so-called Big Babe Brigade, a fluid athlete equipped with the arsenal to engage the Williams juggernaut. (In addition to her defeat of Serena, Clijsters beat Venus twice in 2002.) Hewitt is, ahem, listed at 5-10 and plays an unrelenting, counterpunching style. Aside from blinding quickness, his greatest asset is an outsized heart that stems from a lifetime of being the little guy eager to prove he belongs.

Clijsters and Hewitt met by serendipity. Sort of. In the winter of 2000, Hewitt invited Clijsters to a party for Pat Rafter, a player women don't like so much as they lap him up. Clijsters eagerly accepted, and only later realized Hewitt invited her as his date and not so she could meet Rafter. In nearly three years together, Hewitt and Clijsters have discovered the numerous benefits of dating someone in the same line of work. They practice together and critique the other's game. Watching Clijsters, Hewitt has come to appreciate the virtues of a calm demeanor. Sitting in Hewitt's box, Clijsters has learned what she calls, "the power of having strong self-confidence and believing in yourself." Perhaps above all, they are kindred spirits in a sport where self-absorption is all but an occupational requirement.

With Hewitt already on top and Clijsters just starting to enter her prime, the two have a chance to replicate Connors and Evert's feat of simultaneously being the No. 1 player on their respective tours. For the time being, they are taking a well-deserved vacation. After their airport rendezvous, they connected to a flight bound for Adelaide to drop off their bags. They then headed to an isolated oceanside resort in Queensland. According to Hewitt's reps, they are decompressing after an exhausting year and toasting their success at their respective year-end events. Singapore Slings, no doubt. And better make it a double.

LLEYTON Hewitt, the world's best tennis player for two years running, honed his game on the Memorial Drive tennis courts right next to Adelaide Oval where Don Bradman reigned supreme.

Like Bradman, another little giant, the key to Hewitt's success is his remarkable vision, a gift that allows him to pick up the flight of a ball much earlier than any rival.

"People talk about Lleyton's speed and while he is very quick, it's his freakish ability to read the pattern of play that makes him No.1," his first coach Peter Smith said yesterday after Hewitt's stirring victory in the season-ending Masters Cup final in Shanghai.

"Lleyton always seems to know where the next shot is coming from before his opponent has hit it.

"They used to say Bradman could pick up the flight of a ball faster than any other player and Lleyton is the same in tennis.

"Tim Henman says Lleyton is the best strategist of the decade. That's because his perception on court allows him to get to the tough balls other players can't reach."

But there are many other factors that go into making this little master -- a slightly built kid who dominates in a land of giants and who, at 21, has endorsement deals worth $100 million.

Dr Bruce Mason, head of biomechanics at the Australian Institute of Sport, says Hewitt's greatest gift is his agility.

As with cricketers like Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar, Dr Mason says smaller athletes are usually more agile.

"But you could get 10,000 athletes Lleyton's size and not one of them would have his balance and agility," he said.

"It's a natural gift as is that remarkable ball sense and the motor programs in his brain to know just where the ball is going.

"But none of it means much without the mental toughness."

Peter Smith first saw Hewitt's ferocious potential as a six-year-old not much taller than the racquet he was wielding.

"He has been extremely competitive all his life and that largely comes from being so good, so young and so small as he was coming up through the juniors.

"He's 5ft 10in (178cm) – although he'll tell you he's 5ft 11 – and most of the guys he's playing now tower over him.

"But it's nothing new. Because of his talent he was always competing against bigger and older kids and he copped a lot of flak from them.

"The only way he could fight back was to beat them on the scoreboard."

It stoked a burning fury still blazing as Hewitt fought back against Juan Carlos Ferrero to win in Shanghai after a flop in the third and fourth sets.

Dr Jeff Bond, head psychologist at the AIS, says Hewitt's mental toughness rounds out a formidable arsenal.

"He has the whole package for success in elite sports," Dr Bond said.

"In the areas of physical prowess, technical skills, mental approach and good management you can put a tick in every box.

"He comes off a platform of competitive sports in his family, with a father who played AFL, and now on the tennis circuit he has the support of both parents.

"On the personal front he also seems very settled. His girlfriend is successful in her own right and hasn't just latched on to him because of his fame.

"The tennis circuit can be lonely, living out of hotels and with pressure to perform constantly, but Lleyton has all the systems in place to stay at the top for a long time."

Hewitt has managed to stay remarkably free of injury with an ankle tendon problem the only concern in his short, spectacular career. Sports doctor Nathan Gibbs attributes this great run to Hewitt's small frame and 68kg weight.

He says Hewitt also has fast twitch muscle fibres which give speed.

"And because he has a smaller build you would have to think his endurance, speed and recovery would be better than a lot of bigger players," Dr Gibbs said.

Davis Cup coach Wally Masur says Hewitt, winner of two grand slam titles and now two Tennis Masters Cups among 17 career titles, is mentally the toughest player he has seen and the fastest mover.

"He has the combination of Bjorn Borg's court movement and balance and Jimmy Connors' ruthlessness," Masur said.

"Lleyton just exudes a terrier mentality.

"He has a great tennis brain and his shot selection is second to none. It's the pace and the balance of arrival to the ball which make Lleyton a standout."

Tony Roche, the world's premier coach, said Hewitt had "thrown out the window the theory that you must have a powerful game to be a winner", while John Newcombe said Hewitt's support group played a pivotal role.

"His parents Glynn and Cherilyn are both former athletes," Newcombe said.

"And he had a good coach back in Adelaide in Peter Smith before Darren Cahill and now Jason Stoltenberg."

As for the future, Wally Masur says Hewitt, like Andre Agassi, knows how to tailor his game to different surfaces.

"He's matured and is definitely more powerful and comes to the net more judiciously," Masur said.

"He doesn't miss too many volleys when he comes to the net and in a counter punching role from the backcourt generates a lot more pace."

Peter Smith says Hewitt's back-to-back triumphs over the past two years are just the start. He is often asked whether Hewitt can become the greatest player of all time and, while it's a big ask, Smith says Hewitt obviously has the potential.

"Lleyton will get bigger and stronger as he gets older and he'll manage his tournaments more closely, concentrating on grand slams and Davis Cup so that he doesn't burn out," he said.

"He's only slightly built now with skinny arms but already he can serve at 190km/h.

"If he maintains his form, and even improves, his record in five to 10 years will be phenomenal."