Hewitt not 'match fit'
By Robert Lusetich
September 8, 2003

AS much as Juan Carlos Ferrero's sublime play, it was the rain-wrecked schedule and Lleyton Hewitt's lack of exposure to long, tough matches that ended the Australian's least successful Grand Slam season in four years.

Like every men's quarter-finalist except Americans Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, Hewitt faced the possibility of four matches in four days because of the rain delays. In the event he only played two back to back but even that took its toll on a player whose "match fitness was only maybe 80 per cent", according to John Newcombe.

The former world No.1, who failed to make a Grand Slam semi-final this season, was playing easily his best tennis since early in the year in his quarter-final against Ferrero when he began experiencing pain while pushing off during the serving motion. The match was on a knife's edge, late in a cliffhanger third set after they had split the first two.

With his serve rendered at best ineffective, Hewitt realised his campaign for a second US Open crown was over.

"You see this kind of problem with the muscles that flex the hip from time to time when players are fatigued," said ATP trainer Doug Spreen, who attended to Hewitt during an injury time-out.

"These guys are being asked to play back-to-back (best of) five-setters and it takes its toll on their bodies.

"In my mind, I think that if Lleyton had had a day to rest in between (the fourth round and quarter-finals) this wouldn't have flared up."

Hardly a comforting thought for a player whose ranking has slipped from No.1 at the end of May to No.6, yet the 22-year-old admirably refused to make excuses, noting the scheduling was "tough but it was tough for everyone".

Spreen doubted, as did Hewitt, that the muscular problem -- which the South Australian first noticed in the final of the Mercedes Benz Cup in Los Angeles, his first tournament back after a long lay-off in the wake of his early exit at Wimbledon - would stop him playing a role in Australia's Davis Cup semi-final against Switzerland in Melbourne later this month.

"Not at all," the trainer said. "It's a tiredness issue and after a few days' rest, he'll be fine. It's not any kind of chronic condition."

Newcombe, who watched from the commentary box, thought Hewitt lacked "tough matches under his belt".

"He just hasn't had enough tough tennis this year," Newcombe said. "His body hasn't had the sort of pounding that it's been used to and I think it showed.

"Ferrero is a top-three player and he can't play any better than he did (on Saturday) yet for 2 1/2 hours they were dead level and I reckon Lleyton's match fitness was only maybe 80 per cent."

Indeed, despite the pain, Hewitt almost stole the third set, holding two break points on Ferrero's serve at 4-5, before the French Open champion unleashed two aces and ultimately held on to win the tiebreak, 7-5.

In the fourth set, which Hewitt lost 6-1 in only 23 minutes, he appeared resigned to his fate.

"I knew it was going to be an uphill battle, especially the way that I was feeling," Hewitt said.

"I couldn't serve, basically. It was hurting every time I went up to push off serving. It was grabbing.

"I was trying to battle, but also trying to play a different style of game to what I'm used to as well. Trying to go for a lot of winners.

"I take nothing away from him, though, he was too good."

Many have wondered if Hewitt, who is embroiled in a lawsuit filed in South Australia against the governing body of men's tennis, the ATP, did not play enough tennis this year. Hewitt disagreed, saying he did not "think that was a problem here at the US Open" and that the overloaded schedules of the past two years had left him exhausted. "Obviously, I took a fair while off after the Davis Cup in Sweden (but) that was more just I felt like I needed a break more than anything," he said.

Hewitt said he would not alter his approach next year, which will make it difficult for him to regain the No.1 ranking.

He said he had no interest in packing his schedule over the next month in order to qualify for the Masters Cup, which he has won in each of the past two years.

He will remain sixth in the world after the US Open and said his focus next season would again be on peaking for the Grand Slams and the Davis Cup.

"I feel like if you're going to be No.1 you've got to play a hell of a lot of events unless you can go out there and win two or three majors. I'll schedule my other ATP events just around trying to prepare as well as I can for the majors," Hewitt said.

The Australian

Post-Match Analysis
USOpen.org

Day 12 - Postmatch Analysis – Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) [3] vs. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) [6]

WHAT HAPPENED?

Ferrero -
One of the most satisfying wins on his blossoming resume, Ferrero made a statement today that Spaniards aren't just typecast clay-court specialists, but multi-dimensional athletes that can win on any surface. After dropping the first set behind the strength of one Hewitt break, Ferrero found his pick-me-up, his first break of the match on Hewitt's first service game of the second set.

Hewitt -
Hewitt had it working in the first set, holding serve and keeping his unforced errors low, frustrating the third-ranked player in the world. Suffering a hip flexor injury midway through the third set certainly didn't help Hewitt, but it was two missed chances to break Ferrero late in that set that did it in for the 2001 US Open champion.

STAT OF THE MATCH

Ferrero -
The mark of a winner, Ferrero made the most out of his break point opportunities. Converting five of 12 chances, Ferrero's critical breaks of Hewitt's serve came at 2-0 and 4-2 in the second set, on the Aussie's first service game of the third set, and on a mini-break in the third set tiebreaker.

Hewitt -
Forty-eight unforced errors from a man with a reputation for creating errors, not committing them. In uncharacteristic fashion, Hewitt mishit forehands and backhands all over the court, blasting them into the net, spraying balls wide into the doubles box and deep behind the baseline.

TURNING POINT

Ferrero -
With his body language sagging, sensing a need for a change in strategy, Ferrero started to build points toward the net, trying to create high percentage chances. After a key put-away volley, Ferrero broke at 4-2 in the second set as Hewitt's cross-court backhand passing shot clipped the net and sailed wide out of bounds. Then facing a pair of Hewitt break points, Ferrero avoided catastrophe and held serve to claim the set.

Hewitt -
At 4-3 in the third set, Hewitt called over trainer Doug Spreen for an injury timeout, and he was never the same afterwards. Said Hewitt, "It's at the top of my sort of hip flexor area. I just couldn't serve, basically. It was hurting every time I went up to push off serving. It was very tough to hold serve from then on, especially against a guy who is working the ball so well from the baseline."

WHAT'S NEXT?

Ferrero -
The best out of a deep group of Spaniards, Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, has put himself in position for a shot at claiming his second major title of the year. A date with two-time US Open champion Andre Agassi is on deck for Saturday. Agassi has a distinct advantage in the fitness department having rested on Thursday, but Ferrero is 10 years his junior.

Hewitt -
Certainly a disappointing loss for the intense Aussie, Hewitt had not been having the best 2003 season, but the US Open has always been a home away from home for him over the years. The quarterfinals loss to Ferrero is Hewitt's worst result at the US Open since 1999, when he was eliminated in the third round. A better seeding probably would have led Hewitt through to the semifinals, at least.

VIEW FROM THE CROWD

Ferrero -
A bi-partisan crowd split down the middle between Hewitt and Ferrero, created a level playing field for the two athletes. An amazing testament for the fitness of both players, neither Hewitt or Ferrero showed any effects of playing yesterday.

Hewitt -
There was no sign of Hewitt's significant other, women's No. 1 Kim Clijsters, in the crowd today for his quarterfinal match. Since she is playing in the women's semifinals tonight, Clijsters probably felt that she needed to mentally prepare for her own match, and not Hewitt's. Hewitt said that he "probably" plans to stick around to root Clijsters on.