Hewitt camp wary of Croat
By Leo Schlink in London
June 23, 2003
IVO Karlovic, the towering Croat who plans to wreck Lleyton Hewitt's Wimbledon
defence tonight, yesterday found himself caught in the world No. 2's sights.
As Karlovic practised at the All-England Club in heavy humidity and heat, he
glanced up to a grassy mound where he spotted Hewitt sitting with coach Roger
Rasheed, friend Hayden Eckermann and Swede Joachim Johansson.
Hewitt had seen 203rd-ranked Karlovic hit briefly in the past, but he wanted
more information on how the bearded baseliner moved, what his rallying traits
were and where he liked to direct his monstrous serve.
If Hewitt had intended to unnerve the right-hander with his presence, it worked.
"I saw Lleyton sitting there," said Karlovic, who stands 208cm and
achieves astonishing bounce on serve. "I was surprised to see him.
"He was watching me from over there. I did not expect that.
"This is my first main draw match at a grand slam and I'm very excited.
"For sure, it's going to be a great atmosphere on Centre Court and
everything else.
"I've seen Lleyton play a lot and watched his match with (Dick) Norman at
Queen's Club. He is the highest-ranked man on the court, but I have a good serve
and anything can happen.
"It's going to be an experience for me and I will like that."
Karlovic has contested only two ATP events, winning two matches. He beat Justin
Gimelstob at Queen's Club last week.
Hewitt practised at Wimbledon before returning to the club hours later to run
the rule over Karlovic.
The Croat's ponderous footwork was occasionally exposed by a hitting partner who
kept the ball within Karlovic's tentacle-like hitting span while Hewitt watched.
Once the Australian had left, however, Karlovic took more risks -- and made more
errors.
Karlovic, 24, will gamble on his serve on a slippery opening-day Centre Court,
where the sure footing Hewitt craves is rarely found.
London's blazing summer -- temperatures peaked at 29C yesterday -- has made
conditions drier and less treacherous than usual, but Hewitt remains cautious
about Karlovic.
Rasheed has trawled the locker-room for information on Karlovic and was able to
probe Belgian Xavier Malisse and Victorian Peter Luczak.
Malisse beat Karlovic at Queen's Club after the Croat had eliminated Australians
Jaymon Crabb and Alun Jones in qualifying.
Hewitt, 22, is trying to become the first Australian since John Newcombe in 1971
to land successive Wimbledon singles trophies.
If he can beat Karlovic tonight, his second-round opponent will be either South
Australian Paul Baccanello or Swiss baseliner Ivo Heuberger, who clash tonight.
Hewitt will also keep a close watch on American Taylor Dent's clash with Croat
Ivan Ljubicic. Both are possible third-round opponents.
Dent, the son of Australian Davis Cup player Phil, hurt his back in Nottingham
and had to withdraw from the quarter-finals. At his peak, the serve-volleyer is
a formidable obstacle on grass.
Hewitt is one of six Australian men in the main draw.
Mark Philippoussis, who plays Argentine Mariano Zabaleta, Scott Draper, who
meets Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, Wayne Arthurs (Spaniard Alberto Martin) and
Canberra qualifier Todd Larkham (27th seed James Blake) play tomorrow night.
Baccanello, a former club opponent for Hewitt in Adelaide, is contesting
Wimbledon for the first time. He has suffered chronic back problems, but has now
established himself in the top 200.
Hewitt's toughest draw
From correspondents in London
June 18, 2003
LLEYTON HEWITT will have to navigate his way through a minefield of big servers
if he is to retain his Wimbledon crown.
Top seed, despite losing his world No.1 ranking to Andre Agassi last week,
begins the defence of his title with a first round match against a qualifier.
His task in getting through the second round looks to have been made easier with
the withdrawal of his likely opponent Richard Krajicek, the 1996 champion, who
pulled out today after being beaten in the first round of the ATP tournament in
the Netherlands, citing an unspecified injury.
Hewitt's quarter of the draw contains Taylor Dent, Belarussian Max Mirnyi,
Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan and Andy Roddick, the player he is seeded to meet
in the last eight.
Hewitt was philosophical about a draw he admitted is one of the toughest he had
been handed in a Grand Slam.
"A lot depends on how it pans out. A lot of Grand Slam draws can look tough
at the beginning and then open up."
Despite an early exit from last week's Queen's tournament, which he had won for
the previous three years, Hewitt is confident he is running into form at the
right time.
"I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I'd like last week but since then in
practice I feel like I've stepped it up a notch or two.
"I'm where I want to be and hopefully I can just keep it going until
Monday."
The Australian is anticipating some shivers down his spine when he walks out on
centre court as defending champion.
"Its going to be a special momement," he said. "Winning that
final last year was something I'd dreamed about it and that's what comes with
it. It's part of the tradition of winning the tournament here."
Roddick, the fifth seed, established himself as one of the pre-tournament
favourites by beating Agassi on his way to winning at the biggest pre-Wimbledon
tournament at Queen's Club on Sunday.
Roddick begins his campaign against Italy's Davide Sanguinetti, while Srichaphan,
who knocked Agassi out last year and is seeded 12th, has a tough opening match
against Dominik Hrbaty.
The Asian No.1 has lost both his previous encounters with the experienced
Slovakian.
In contrast to Hewitt, the draw was relatively kind to Agassi, who begins his
quest to add to his 1992 title with an opening match against British wildcard
Jamie Delgado, ranked 456th in the world.
A projected quarter-final against Xavier Malisse, a semi-finalist here last
year, looks like giving Agassi his first real test. Malisse will not relish the
prospect of a likely second round meeting with Australia's Mark Philippoussis.
Home favourite Tim Henman, struggling to recover his best form following
shoulder surgery earlier this year, faces Spanish claycourt specialist Alex
Corretja in his opening match.
In theory, the draw is relatively benign for Henman but he will be wary of the
prospect of facing Dutchman Martin Verkerk in the third round. Verkerk was a
surprise finalist at the French Open two weeks ago and his power game looks
ideally suited to grass.
If Henman can survive to the second week he is likely to come up against
France's Sebastien Grosjean, who beat the British No.1 at Queen's, in the last
eight.
Last year's surprise runner-up, Argentine David Nalbandian, kicks off against
Vladimir Voltchkov and could find himself meeting experienced grasscourt
specialist Wayne Ferreira in the third round.
Ferreira has a tough first round clash with Karol Kucera of Slovakia.
Men's singles first round (prefix denotes seeding):
1-Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) b Qualifier
Lucky loser v Qualifier
Taylor Dent (USA) v Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)
Max Mirnyi (BLR) v 31-Vincent Spadea (USA)
19-Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) v Jurgen Melzer (AUT)
Qualifier v Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)
Irakli Labadze (GEO) v Justin Gimelstob (USA)
Robby Ginepri (USA) v 15-Arnaud Clement (FRA)
12-Paradorn Srichaphan (THA) v Dominik Hrbaty (SVK)
Olivier Mutis (FRA) v Franco Squillari (ARG)
Rafael Nadal (SPA) v Mario Ancic (CRO)
Lee Childs (GBR) v 24-Albert Costa (SPA)
25-Tommy Robredo (SPA) v Jose Acasuso (ARG)
Brian Vahaly (USA) v Filippo Volandri (ITA)
Alexander Waske (GER) v Greg Rusedski (GBR)
Davide Sanguinetti (ITA) v 5-Andy Roddick (USA)
4-Roger Federer (SWI) v Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR)
Stefan Koubek (AUT) v Christophe Rochus (BEL)
Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) v Magnus Norman (SWE)
Mardy Fish (USA) v 29-Gaston Gaudio (ARG)
23-Agustin Calleri (ARG) v Adrian Voinea (ROM)
Flavio Saretta (BRA) v Alan Mackin (GBR)
Feliciano Lopez (SPA) v Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
Karol Beck (SVK) v 16-Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
9-Rainer Schuettler (GER) v Michel Kratochvil (SWI)
Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) v Fabrice Santoro (FRA)
Fernando Vicente (SPA) v Todd Martin (USA)
John Van Lottum (NED) v 17-Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)
32-Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) v Tomas Behrend (GER)
Qualifier v Albert Portas (SPA)
Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) v Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)
Arvind Parmar (GBR) v 8-Sjeng Schalken (NED)
6-David Nalbandian (ARG) v Vladimir Voltchkov (BLR)
Andre Sa (BRA) v Mariano Puerta (ARG)
Qualifier v Qualifier
Karol Kucera (SVK) v 28-Wayne Ferreira (RSA)
21-Martin Verkerk (NED) v Qualifier
Qualifier v Nicolas Kiefer (GER)
David Sanchez (SPA) v Qualifier
Alex Corretja (SPA) v 10-Tim Henman (GBR)
13-Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) v Thomas Enqvist (SWE)
Alberto Martin (SPA) v Wayne Arthurs (AUS)
Qualifier v Marc Rosset (SWI)
22-Qualifier v Felix Mantilla (SPA)
26-James Blake (USA) v Qualifier
Sargis Sargsian (ARM) v Alex Bogdanovic (GBR)
Nicolas Escude (FRA) v Qualifier
Jean-Rene Lisnard (FRA) v 3-Juan Carlos Ferrero (SPA)
7-Guillermo Coria (ARG) v Olivier Rochus (BEL)
Richard Bloomfield (GBR) v Anthony Dupuis (FRA)
Radek Stepanek (CZE) v Julien Boutter (FRA)
30-Qualifier v Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
20-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS) v Raemon Sluiter (NED)
Hicham Arazi (MAR) v Alexander Popp (GER)
David Ferrer (SPA) v Martin Lee (GBR)
Luis Horna (PER) v 11-Jiri Novak (CZE)
14-Xavier Malisse (BEL) v Qualifier
Mariano Zabaleta (ARG) v Mark Philippoussis (AUS)
Scott Draper (AUS) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
18-Qualifier v Marat Safin (RUS)
27-Younes El Aynaoui (MAR) v Mark Hilton (GBR)
Zeljko Krajan (CRO) v Nicolas Massu (CHI)
Lars Burgsmuller (GER) v Albert Montanes (SPA)
Jamie Delgado (GBR) v 2-Andre Agassi (USA)
Hewitt relishes special moment
From correspondents in London
June 18, 2003
IT is a moment only a handful of the world's best ever get a chance to
experience and Lleyton Hewitt is relishing the imminent arrival of his turn to
savour it.
Walking out on to Wimbledon's Centre Court as defending champion is exactly the
kind of thrill the Australian dreamed off as he honed the skills and
extraordinary mental resilience that have driven him to the top of the men's
game.
Now, as Monday's start to the defence of the title that means more to him than
any other, the first tingles of nervous excitement have begun to kick in.
"It's going to be a special momement," the 22-year-old said.
"Winning that final last year was something I'd dreamed about it and that's
what comes with it. It's part of the tradition of winning the tournament here.
"It's a buzz just to walk in the place ¨C you can feel the tradition. If
there is one place I'd like to walk back in as champion it's here. It's a real
special feeling."
For all his ability to ensconce himself in something akin to a fiercely
competitive trance while out on court, Hewitt is not immune to nerves.
It has, however, been Davis Cup matches which have tended to get under his skin
in the past and his two Grand Slam finals to date ¨C the 2001 US Open and last
year at Wimbledon ¨C have both concluded with accomplished victories.
"You can't help thinking about what you're playing for but I blocked it out
as much as possible.
"No doubt come Monday that's when it all starts and the nerves will be
flying the most. You get pretty eager just to get out there and play the match
and get into the tournament."
Although Hewitt lost his world No.1 ranking to Andre Agassi last week, his
superior recent record on grass has seen him installed as the top seed.
The draw, however, has not been kind to him. After opening matches against
opponents who will have been battle-hardened by coming through qualifying, the
powerful Taylor Dent and Belarussian giant Max Mirnyi are also lurking along his
path to a potential quarter-final with Andy Roddick, whose credentials as a
potential champion at the All England Club were underlined by his win in last
week's warm-up tournament at Queen's.
Hewitt admits the draw looks about as tough as any he has been handed in a Grand
Slam since ascending to the top of the men's game, although he is understandably
wary of looking beyond his opening encounter.
"A lot depends on how it pans out. A lot of Grand Slam draws can look tough
at the beginning and then open up."
Despite his early exit from Queen's, where he had won for the previous three
years, Hewitt strikes a bullish tone when asked to assess the current state of
his game.
"I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I'd like last week but since then in
practice I feel like I've stepped it up a notch or two.
"I'm where I want to be and hopefully I can just keep it going until
Monday."
Many observers have detected an attempt by Hewitt to curb the more aggressive
manifestations of his competitive edge. The famous fist-pumping after winners is
rarely directed towards an opponent, as sometimes it was in the past.
But if he has changed, Hewitt insists he has not done so consciously.
"It (the fist-pumping) was never something I felt was directed at any
oppoent although some people say that was the case. It is not something I
consciously think about."
The competitive drive, he says, is such an ingrained part of his character that
he cannot recall a time when he was without it.
"I don't know where it comes from but I've got that never-say-die attitude
that means it doesn't matter what situation I'm in I still believe I can pull
through and get out of there."
At 22, Hewitt can still do a passable impersonation of a defensive, chippy
teenager.
Yet he is also surprisingly enamoured of Wimbledon's defence of its traditions,
notably its all-white clothing code.
"I sort of enjoy it," he revealed. "You know the tradition and I
think it comes with playing on grass, so it doesn't bother me at all."
That said, as a good Aussie, Hewitt admits he "probably won't miss"
being required to bow to members of the British royal family ¨C one Wimbledon
tradition which has, for the first time this year, been done away with.
HEWITT: MINE'S A DOUBLE June 17
Lleyton Hewitt, dislodged from pole position in the world game by Andre Agassi
and ready to exist in the shadow of Tim Henman for the next fortnight, today
revealed the "never-say-attitude" he hopes will land him back-to-back
Wimbledon crowns.
The 22-year-old Australian romped to glory in the All England Championships last
July but now has the rejuvenated Agassi to contend with.
The American, 33, may be lacking the flowing locks which marked his early days
in SW19 but he has lost none of his verve.
He has just knocked Hewitt off the world number one spot - but the Australian,
the top seed, claims it is the tournament starting on Monday which will reveal
who really is the best player.
Hewitt, who discovered in today's draw he faces a qualifier in the first round
and possibly Dutchman Richard Krajicek in the second, said: "To still be
going around at Andre's age and be so enthusiastic about it all is pretty
impressive. He's got a lot of goals he's striving towards.
"But the number one ranking doesn't mean much to me going into Wimbledon.
Whoever wins the tournament can rate themselves as number one for these two
weeks - and that's what I'm going after.
"I don't feel any added pressure being champion as I have high expectations
going into every Grand Slam anyway."
Hewitt plans to allow Henman - the man he beat in straight sets in to reach last
year's final - to hog the limelight in his home Grand Slam.
Henman, 28, who matched his last-four best again before losing to Hewitt, has
just recovered from a shoulder problem so serious he could not brush his teeth
right-handed.
The 10th seed faces a first-round clash with Spaniard Alex Corretja, ranked just
eight places below his own 29th position in the world rankings.
And Hewitt said: "There's not as much attention on me here as it's Tim's
time. Most of the focus will be on him, which is the same situation I'm in going
into the Australian Open.
"So I'll be a bit more relaxed and not in the limelight as much as in my
home Grand Slam. Tim probably didn't play his best tennis at Queen's. Now the
crowd will get behind him and there'll be a lot of pressure and expectation on
him.
"But he handles it as well as anyone and making the semi-finals year after
year is impressive."
As for his own campaign this year, Hewitt gave an insight into the ruthless
attitude which has propelled him to the top of world tennis.
"I'll never say I'm unbeatable but I feel I can step on the court on any
day - and on nearly any surface - and be good enough to beat anyone if I play my
A-game," he said.
"I guess I've got that never-say-die attitude. It doesn't matter what
situation I'm in, I believe there's some way I can escape it. It's happened a
few times and won me some big matches. I can't remember too
many matches when I've come off and thought I hadn't given 100%."WIMBLEDON
DRAW SHAKEOUT June 17, 2003
Hewitt Cops Wimbledon Break June 17
Agassi also enjoys a favorable draw.
Top seed and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt dodged a bullet Tuesday when a
potential second-round showdown at Wimbledon with 1996 champion Richard Krajicek
disappeared. Hewitt and Krajicek looked likely to meet in the second round when
the draw was made Tuesday.
But Krajicek suffered a 6-4, 7-6(4) loss to Frenchman Olivier Mutis in 's-Hertogenbosch
Tuesday and later announced that he would be withdrawing from Wimbledon, saying
an elbow injury would not allow him to compete at his highest level at The
Championships.
A lucky loser from qualifying will now replace Krajicek in the draw, ensuring
that Hewitt can only face a qualifier in the first and second rounds, before a
possible meeting with either Taylor Dent or Max Mirnyi in the third round.
Hewitt is seeded to meet fifth seed Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. The
American last week rode his thunderous serve to the Stella Artois title at
Queen's.
Second seed and 1992 champion Andre Agassi enjoys a favorable draw. He plays
Briton Jamie Delgado in the first round and then the winner of German Lars
Burgsmuller and Spaniard Albert Montanes. He is seeded to meet Younes El Aynaoui
in the third round and his fourth-round opponent is likely to be either 14th
seed and last year's semifinalist Xavier Malisse, 18th seed Marat Safin or
three-time quarterfinalist, Mark Philippoussis.
Third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has the opportunity to claim the World No. 1
ranking during Wimbledon by moving to top spot in the ATP Entry Ranking, meets
Frenchman Jean-Rene Lisnard in the first round. Ferrero reached the second round
last year and the third round on debut in 2001. The Spaniard faces a potentially
difficult second-round match against accomplished serve/volleyer Nicolas Escude,
who in 2001 defeated Hewitt en route to the Wimbledon quarterfinals and Hewitt
again on grass in the Davis Cup final.
Fourth seed Roger Federer plays Sydney champion Hyung-Taik Lee in the first
round. The Swiss suffered a shock first-round loss to Croatian youngster Mario
Ancic last year after ending Pete Sampras' 31-match winning streak in 2001.
Federer, who won the Gerry Weber Open title in Halle last week, is seeded to
meet Argentine Gaston Gaudio in the third round, Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth
round and eighth seed Sjeng Schalken in the quarterfinals.
Briton Tim Henman, who is No. 29 in the ATP Entry Ranking but has been seeded
tenth, plays Alex Corretjain the first round. He is seeded to meet big-serving
Dutchman and Roland Garros finalist Martin Verkerk in the third round and last
year's Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian in the fourth round.
Wimbledon Announces Seeds for 2003 Championships Monday,
June 16, 2003
On the same day that he was deposed as number one by Andre Agassi in the world
rankings, Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt was nominated as top seed for the
men's singles.
Hewitt vaults back over the 33-year-old American by virtue of holding the title
and a better recent record on grass, despite the fact that Agassi won the
Championship in 1992, 11 years ago.
The swapping of places by the top two men is one of several changes to the world
ranking positions by the seeding committee, who took into account 100 per cent
of players' grass court points from 2002 and 50 per cent from 2001.
The most notable change is that of Tim Henman. The British number one, and a
perennial hope for a home winner (something last achieved by Fred Perry in
1936), is seeded tenth, a leap of 19 places in his ATP Entry Ranking.
The elevation will be welcomed by Henman, who is struggling to find form and
consistency following a shoulder operation seven months ago. Tenth place is
awarded on the strength of Henman's semi-final place in last year's
Championships, plus the fact that he has been a semi-finalist in four of the
last five Wimbledons.
The number three seeding goes to the clay court specialist, Juan Carlos Ferrero
of Spain, winner of the French Open earlier this month, who has not gone beyond
the third round previously at Wimbledon.
Fourth place is awarded to the Swiss, Roger Federer, who was a quarter-finalist
in 2001, the year he also knocked out the seven-time champion, Pete Sampras.
Federer showed he is in excellent grass form by winning the Halle tournament in
Germany at the weekend.
The exciting American 20-year-old, Andy Roddick, rated by many as a good bet for
the title after his impressive victory at the Stella Artois championships in
London on Sunday, is seeded fifth, one place higher than his world ranking.
Unlike previous years, when several clay court experts opted to miss The
Championships, the only absentee will be the fourth-ranked Carlos Moya, of
Spain, who is injured.
The 32 seeds reflect the current domination of the rankings by those who
flourish on slower courts, containing four Spaniards and five Argentinians. Top
among these is David Nalbandian, who is seeded sixth on the strength of getting
to last year's final on his debut.
Nalbandian goes above his compatriot Guillermo Coria , Holland's Sjeng Schalken,
a Wimbledon quarter-finalist who gave Hewitt a rough five-set ride last year,
and Germany's Australian Open runner-up, Rainer Schuettler.
Martin Verkerk, a little-known Dutchman who astounded everyone, including
himself, by reaching the French Open final on the back of powerful serving, is
acknowledged as a threat by being seeded 21st.
Other men who have been seeded higher than their world ranking are Belgium's
Xavier Malisse, Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, who is 14th seed despite a
ranking of 31, and France's Arnaud Clement, seeded 15th with a ranking of 30.
There is no place in the seedings for two of the biggest servers in the game,
Mark Philippoussis and Greg Rusedski, whose rankings have slumped because of
injury. Philippoussis, ranked 51st, and Rusedski, 68th, will be dangerous
floaters when the draw is made on Tuesday.
The women's singles have been seeded directly from the world rankings. Defending
champion Serena Williams is number one, followed by the Belgian pair, Kim
Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, who contested the Roland Garros final two
weeks ago.
Fourth seeding goes to Venus Williams, winner at Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001 and
defeated by her sister in last year's final. The women's 32 contains nine
Americans (though Monica Seles is absent because of a foot injury) and six
Russians.
The Williams sisters, holders of the doubles title, are seeded third, with top
place going to the number one ranked team of Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascal and
Argentina's Paola Suarez.
The top men's doubles seeds are Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Max Mirnyi of
Belarus.
Written by Ron Atkin
Lleyton's 'lost edge'
By Leo Schlink
10jun03
Dailey Telegraph
PAT CASH believes reigning Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt has lost his grand
slam-winning drive.
Cash, the 1987 All-England Club champion, predicts Hewitt's arch-rival Andre
Agassi will land his second Wimbledon crown and usurp the world champion at the
head of the rankings.
"The next seven days will teach us a lot about Hewitt's state of
mind," Cash said, referring to the South Australian's bid to secure a
record fourth consecutive Stella Artois Championships.
"He's admitted saying goodbye to the clay for another year hasn't exactly
been an emotional farewell and now he's aiming at four titles in a row.
"Queen's Club in West London is a much more natural environment for any
Australian and Lleyton's obviously extremely comfortable there.
"But I sense something is wrong with the world No. 1.
"Maybe there's something wrong in his camp, perhaps it's just down to him
but Hewitt appears to have lost that special edge which was so important to him.
"Maybe it was inevitable that would happen sooner or later because – with
one minor blip – he's been top of the world rankings for almost 18 months and
that's a lot time.
"Queen's is the perfect place to shake things down a little and get back on
track.
"For his sake, I hope he's successful."
Jason Stoltenberg last week resigned as the Wimbledon champion's coach after an
18-month stint and has been replaced by Hewitt's fellow South Australian Roger
Rasheed, who has been in the Hewitt corner since December as Stoltenberg's
assistant.
Hewitt, who will open his grasscourt singles campaign against either Dutchman
Raemon Sluiter or Romanian Adrian Voinea tomorrow, believes Stoltenberg's
departure will not destabilise his finely tuned game.
Wimbledon is just 13 days away, but Cash believes Hewitt will not successfully
defend the sport's most prestigious title.
"Agassi may be 33 and the most senior player heading for the main draw at
Wimbledon, but he's my pick for the title," Cash said.
"I like the fact Agassi is playing at Queen's next week, I sense the
influence of his coach Darren Cahill and the signs are obvious that he means
business."
Cash also likes the chances of French Open finalist Martin Verkerk.
"He's taken me by surprise like he has taken just about everybody else, but
what I would have given for his physique and his serve," Cash said.
"He is very much a modern day type of player with a colossal amount of
power and very pronounced grips.
"He's been a breath of fresh air to the men's game this tournament and
possesses the sort of infectious personality that can only augur well for the
future.
"With his big weapons, it will be very interesting to see how he fares at
Wimbledon, even though he insists he has never previously played on grass."