Lleyton Hewitt did his best to be philosophical after his straight sets semi-final defeat to Roger Federer. But there was no concealing his disappointment.
"I've no doubt I'm the second best player around at the moment," said the No.3 seed after losing 3-6, 4-6, 6-7. "It's just that the best player is pretty bloody good.
"There's no doubt he was the better player today. He served better. He dictated play better. The biggest turnaround in his game over the last couple of years is that he used to give you a lot more cheap points on your service games, and you just don't get those anymore. On his own service he can rely on big serves to get him out of trouble at 0-30 or 15-30. That's why he's the best player around.
"I just have to keep biding my time, keep grinding away and looking for answers, I guess. I'm not sure there's anything I can add to my game to match him. Of course I'm always looking for ways to improve. I have to keep improving or else there's no point in continuing to play. I have small areas I can work on. But I don't know what Roger's got to work on. There's no doubt he's among the top few I've seen, up with the greats. It would be very hard to go against Roger winning the title again."
Hewitt did, however, manage to find something good in his eighth straight defeat to Federer, the fifth successive loss in which he had failed to relieve the Swiss of so much as one set.
"It's definitely a challenge," he said. "In some ways it's a huge positive that I can keep putting myself in these positions. I can't remember a time in the last 18 months that I've lost a bad match to an average player. But when you get to a Slam semi-final, you want to take the next step and hold up the trophy."
Written by Kate Battersby
| Roger Has Hold Over Lleyton |
Roger Federer believes his impressive sequence of victories over Lleyton Hewitt, which now stretches to eight, is down to his own physical and mental development over the past three years. "It has really started to pay off," he said after his 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 semi-final win on Centre Court.
"In the beginning of our rivalry, I couldn't hang with him physically or mentally. But that has definitely changed around for me. Now I have the feeling I can always hang with him. If I'm good from the baseline, I'll get a chance to break him. And it seems he is having a hard time breaking my serve. Eventually, with the variation in my game, I get the errors out of him, too."
Federer feels he now has a psychological hold over the Australian. "That's obvious," he said. "It's not easy to play somebody you've lost to so many times, and that definitely helps me. But I also have to watch out that I don't get fooled and take it too easy. But today I was surprised I won in straight sets because I expected it to be four or five. I just hoped it wasn't going to be three for him."
Federer admitted he was tense before the Hewitt match because he was not sure what the Australian's tactics would be. "I've always got the feeling he's got options to change up his game. I didn't serve well in the beginning and he took advantage of that. So I definitely felt the tensions. I'm happy they still come, because if they don't I'm in the wrong sport."
As for the praise being showered on him these days because of his streak of 35 grass court wins, Federer insisted: "I never feel unbeatable. There are too many players out there. Every day is a new day and it starts from zero, like a soccer match. Today I was happy with the way I started, but the next match obviously is huge for me.
"I'm very proud to be in my third consecutive Wimbledon final. That really means very much to me. I hope I can seize the opportunity because this tournament means a lot to me."
Written by Ronald Atkin
| Federer beats Hewitt to reach third Wimbledon final; Davenport to meet Williams |
| By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer July 1, 2005
It certainly sounded like an attractive semifinal: Federer vs. Hewitt, No. 1 in the rankings vs. No. 2, Wimbledon champions both. Instead, it was just another showcase for all of Federer's talents. Taking charge almost from the start, Federer subdued the normally resilient Hewitt 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) Friday to move within one victory of joining Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg as the only men to take three consecutive Wimbledon titles since 1936. ``This performance is definitely good enough to win Wimbledon,'' Federer said. ``I sort of still can't believe that I did it, so smooth in straight sets.'' He hit stretch volleys, sent big serves at Hewitt's body or spun them nearly to the stands for aces, mixed flat backhands with confounding slices, and, as always, used his forehand to put quick ends to rallies. Federer finished with 46 winners to Hewitt's 31 and faced only one break point. ``I've got no doubt that I feel like I'm the second-best player going around right at the moment,'' said Hewitt, who won Wimbledon in 2002 and the U.S. Open in 2001 but has been beaten at four of his past six majors by Federer. ``It's just that the best player going around is pretty bloody good.''
His next opponent will be Andy Roddick or Thomas Johansson, and they'll have the added disadvantage of less rest ahead of Sunday's final. Their semifinal was stopped because of rain Friday with Roddick ahead 6-5, and Johansson about to serve. Roddick, the runner-up to Federer last year, and Johansson will resume their match Saturday on Centre Court. That will be followed by the women's final between 2000-01 Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and 1999 winner Lindsay Davenport. The top-ranked Davenport needed four minutes Friday to wrap up her 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo. The match was halted by showers Thursday night, with Mauresmo serving at 15-0 in the ninth game of the final set. ``To come back in that situation, it was brutal,'' Davenport said. ``Mentally challenging to absorb.'' When play continued, Mauresmo held serve at love to make it 5-4, then Davenport held at love to end it and reach her second major final of 2005. Not bad for someone who 12 months ago talked about retiring and never playing at Wimbledon again. Mauresmo, meanwhile, lost her fourth straight Slam semifinal, three at the All England Club. ``Did I cry? Not yet,'' Mauresmo said.
``I don't really remember too much about it,'' Davenport said. ``I remember losing.'' One day, that's how Hewitt will refer to this stretch against Federer. Hewitt won eight of their first 10 matches, but since then, Federer has taken eight in a row. Here's an example of why: On a 12-stroke exchange at 2-2 in the second set, Federer lunged to one corner for a backhand lob to keep the point going. Hewitt pounced, smacking an overhead toward the opposite side of the court, but somehow Federer got to that, too, and ripped a cross-court forehand passing winner. Most players -- perhaps all but one -- would be content to try to keep the ball in play there. Not Federer. He goes for a winner, and he delivers. Federer, who won three majors last year without the help of a coach, has enlisted Tony Roche, the 1966 French Open champion who used to work with Ivan Lendl and Patrick Rafter. Why? To stay a step ahead. ``There's all those little areas you can work on and you can improve on, and I think that's very important that he continue to do that,'' Roche said. ``He's sort of taken the game to another level, and he knows the other guys are going to be working a little bit harder.'' Then again, as Hewitt simply stated: ``I don't know what he's got to really work on.'' Other than a brief blip in the match's third game, when Federer made four unforced errors to get broken, Hewitt -- generally regarded as his generation's best returner -- just could not get a read on the Swiss star's serve. Federer mixed it up so well that he repeatedly had Hewitt leaning to the wrong side, which is no way to confront a small ball moving at 125 mph. Federer won 20 of 23 points during his service games in the second set. It was the type of play that's helped Federer go 57-3 with seven titles in 2005. Two of those losses were in Grand Slam semifinals, to eventual champions Marat Safin in Australia and Rafael Nadal in France. ``I believe strongly in my capabilities. I'm very motivated. There's a lot of confidence as well, with my record on grass and in general over the years,'' Federer said. ``I've built up this feeling on big points that I can do it over and over again.''
|
Lleyton Faces His Swiss Summit
Wednesday, 29 June, 2005
Here we are again - the latter stages of a major event and Lleyton Hewitt and
Roger Federer are squaring up to each other. Again. On Friday, the world No.1
and the former world No.1 will do battle in the semi finals - the 17th time they
have met - and Hewitt will be hoping for his first win since 2003.
As Hewitt tried to point out, quietly, at the end of last year - had it not been
for Roger Federer, he would have been the world No1. Six times the two met and
six times Federer won. They met in the final of the Masters Cup, the final of
the US Open and the quarter final here. Only once did Hewitt manage to take a
set - and that was here.
That will, at least, give Hewitt hope that he can get close to Federer, as will
his 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 win over Feliciano Lopez. With only a handful of errors in
each set, the champion of 2002 was looking rather good.
Lopez - or F-Lo as he is affectionately known by his ever increasing group of
female supporters - is that rare beast: a blond, blue eyed Spaniard who likes to
serve and volley. And he is lovely. Even Judy Murray thinks so - and she, as the
force behind Andy Murray, is a shrewd judge of tennis flesh.
F-Lo is also the spitting image of his mother, who was sitting watching from the
players' box. The world is yet to be told whether Mrs Lopez also likes to serve
and volley.
He has never got this far at Wimbledon before, in fact he has never got beyond
the fourth round in any grand slam. No wonder, then, that he was ever so
slightly twitchy playing the former champion on Centre Court. When a big point
would present itself, Lopez would fluff it. There were chances and,
occasionally, he took them but he could never hang on to them for long. Hewitt
would not allow it. Hewitt is like that.
There is a tale told of Hewitt in the Davis Cup back in 2003. A grass court was
heaved into Melbourne Park for the final against Spain and, brought in on
pallets, it was bolted together for the duration. When the court was broken up
after the tie was over, the workmen found a Tiger snake, one of the most
poisonous snakes in the world, hiding in one of the pallets. It had, apparently,
stuck its head up through the turf, seen Hewitt pounding around above him and
taken cover. Not even a Tiger snake was prepared to take on Australia's
smallest, feistiest grand slam champion.
When Hewitt is on a mission, he is a terrifying sight. A bundle of nervous
energy, fuelled by adrenaline, he never stops moving. He plucks at the strings
of his racquet like a harpist tackling Tchaikovsky, he fiddles with the gold
chain around his neck, he picks imaginary bits of fluff from his shirt, he
rearranges his collar, he reties his hair, he takes his cap off, he puts his cap
back on and, in between times, he beats the living daylights out of the
opposition.
Lopez had the temerity to take the early lead thanks, in no small part, to
Hewitt serving like a drain. One sloppy game and suddenly Australia's finest was
2-3 down. How could such a thing happen? Hewitt was certainly not going to let
it happen again and, serving with care and precision, he pinged down 15 aces.
Once the first set was done, Lopez never got another look at the Hewitt serve.
Someone should have told F-Lo in the locker room - don't get Hewitt angry, not
if you want to walk home unaided. And breaking him early on will only get him
riled.
Whether Hewitt can rile Federer is a moot point. He has not managed it for a
long, long time and he may not manage it here. The Tiger snake may be afraid of
Hewitt but Federer fears no one.
Written by Alix Ramsay
How Hewitt's serving tactics saw off Lopez
BBC Sport, June 29, 2005
Hawk-Eye on Hewitt v Lopez
Lleyton Hewitt moves into the semi-finals at Wimbledon with a comfortable 7-5
6-4 7-6 win over Feliciano Lopez.
Hawk-Eye commentator Jason Goodall explains how Hewitt adjusted his tactics to
secure victory:
You can see that in previous matches Hewitt has varied his serve very well and
naturally he adds a bit of slice, so it goes predominantly to the right of the
deuce court and the ad court.
Hewitt serves vs Dent
 |
But against Lopez, who's a left-hander with a weaker backhand, exactly the
opposite was the case.
Hewitt serves vs Lopez
 |
He served the vast majority of his first serves to the Spaniard's forehand in
both the deuce and the ad court.
It was a distinct change of tactics.
Hewitt serve-volleyed a lot more behind both the first and second serves than he
had done in previous matches.
Even when he stayed back he was always looking to come to the net, winning 10
points when moving into the forecourt.
Hewitt's 2nd serve vs
Lopez
|
|
On the second serve his tactics were totally as you would expect - every single
second serve went to the Lopez backhand, which is the weaker of the Spaniard's
groundstrokes.
Lopez's serve vs Hewitt
 |
Coming into the match Lopez had only lost serve three times in the tournament,
but against Hewitt he could not decide which was the most effective serve.
Naturally, being a left-hander, you would expect him to serve the vast majority
out wide to the ad court and down the T to the deuce court, but because Hewitt
has such a good backhand return he was not able to play to his own stregths on
serve.
That's one of the reasons Lopez lost the match and it's why Hewitt has such a
good record against left-handers, and other players such as Safin and Ancic have
failed.
Gamewatch: Hewitt v Lopez
BBC Sport
Wimbledon quarter-final result:
L HEWITT (Aus) v F LOPEZ (Spa)
7-5 6-4 7-6 (7-2)
(read from the bottom up)
Third set:
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 7-6 Lopez
Has Hewitt set the tone for the tie-break with a wonderful passing shot on the
first point before getting a mini-break on the second? A cry of "C'mon!" greets
a 4-1 lead and another follows when he breaks again to go 5-2 up. A double
"C'mon!" marks him earning four match points at 6-2. The number three seed only
needs one as Lopez nets and it's another "C'mon!". Next on the agenda is Roger
Federer in the semi-finals.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 6-6 Lopez
It is crunch time and Lopez shows more mental fortitude than in the previous
sets after going 0-15 down. A kicking serve followed up by a forehand passing
shot secure him the game and send us into a tie-break.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 6-5 Lopez
Have the roles reversed as Hewitt cards his second double fault of the match?
Not a chance. An ace follows and he is soon back in front having held to 15.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 5-5 Lopez
Lopez safely negotiates the first two points and fires down an ace for the
third. The crowd are delighted that he wins the game to 15 after a wobble on the
fourth point.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 5-4 Lopez
Another love service game featuring Hewitt aces number 13 and 14. Now the
Australian will be focusing on returning Lopez's serves and testing his
opponents resilience under pressure.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 4-4 Lopez
Anything you can do I can do better. Lopez replies to Hewitt's love service game
with one of his own which features a massive smash two feet from the net.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 4-3 Lopez
The sun has gone in and as the temperature drops so has the atmosphere on Centre
Court. There is a feeling of inevitability that the match will soon be over as
Hewitt again cruises through a service game, holding to love.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 3-3 Lopez
Lopez levels with a good service game, but if the first two sets are anything to
go by he had better start worrying about the frailty of his mental game as we
enter the second half of the set.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 3-2 Lopez
"Vamos". Lopez is delighted as he injects some pace into a point to level at
15-15 and leave Hewitt scrabbling for a return, but it is the only one he wins
as the Australian plays with cool, control to move within three games of
victory.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 2-2 Lopez
Yet again the server drops the opening point of the game and yet again they come
from behind to hold. A stretched, back-pedalling overhead gives Lopez game point
and he converts it with a high, driven forehand voley.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 2-1 Lopez
Hewitt loses the first point but then powers through the game, capping it with
an ace four points later to move ahead again and put the pressure back on Lopez.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 1-1 Lopez
The wheels threaten to come off the Lopez challenge but he battles back from
0-30 down as he finds his range with the serve and holds to 30.
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 1-0 Lopez
Hewitt opens a set on serve for the third time and it is his best opening
service game yet. He holds to love and Lopez's unforced error count is steadily
rising.
Second set:
Hewitt 7-5 6-4 Lopez
Oh-oh. Lopez opens with a double fault and is then over ambitious in charging to
the net and he puts a half-volley into the net before pushing a backhand slice
long. One break point is saved but not the second. Hewitt celebrates the second
set with his second roar of "C'mon!".
Hewitt 7-5 5-4 Lopez
After the fastest serve comes the longest rally and Hewitt wins it when Lopez
pushes the 18th shot long. Hewitt holds to love to edge ahead and to within four
points of a two-set lead.
Hewitt 7-5 4-4 Lopez
Lopez is playing with flair and enjoys another good service game that features
two aces - the second is the fastest serve of the match at 136mph. The
intriguing question now is will he tighten up again as we reach the business end
of the set?
Hewitt 7-5 4-3 Lopez
The game opens with the best point of the match, a rally of wonderful movement
and variety around the court which ends when Lopez puts a tame backhand into the
net. Hewitt holds to 15.
Hewitt 7-5 3-3 Lopez
A remarkbale punched backhand return down the line gives Hewitt his only point
of the game. The Spaniard looks to have recovered his best form after a dodgy
20-minute spell.
Hewitt 7-5 3-2 Lopez
Lopez has no answer to Hewitt's serve and the number three seed races through
another service game to love. It means all the pressure turns back on to Lopez
and the question as to whether he can hold again.
Hewitt 7-5 2-2 Lopez
The Australian's return is holding up well to the left-handed serve but it not
quite enough to find a break, a whipped dipping lob going just long as Lopez
holds to 30.
Hewitt 7-5 2-1 Lopez
Lopez stops a run of 11 straight Hewitt points on serve but is then diocked a
point for calling a serve out, which the umpire decrees hinders his opponent.
The decision seems to earn him the sympathy and support of the crowd, although
that does not help him break.
Hewitt 7-5 1-1 Lopez
The pair play a rally of rocketing groundstrokes and when Hewitt nets Lopez
levels in the screaming stakes with a first "Vamos" of the afternoon. Three
points later he levels in terms of games in the second set - but is helped by a
poor line call.
Hewitt 7-5 1-0 Lopez
With that first set in the bag, the number three seed immediately looks more
relaxed and enjoys a dominant service game holding to love for the second time
in a row.
First set:
Hewitt 7-5 Lopez
Lopez tightens up and gifts Hewitt three break points with a volley into the
net. He saves two but then another netted volley hands the Australian the first
set.
Hewitt 6-5 Lopez
Serve is dominating at the moment and Hewitt holds to love. Lopez will hope that
run continues as he serves to stay in the set after falling behind again.
Hewitt 5-5 Lopez
After a word at the change over with the umpire over what he thought was a wrong
line call, Hewitt comes out to break for the set but has no answer to the
Spaniard's powerful service game.
Hewitt 5-4 Lopez
Hewitt is looking frustrated as he struggles to string a run of points together.
An ace at 30-30 brings out the first "C'mon!" but it is followed by another
loose shot that takes it to deuce before he eventually holds.
Hewitt 4-4 Lopez
Left-handed Lopez is bubbling with confidence on Centre Court but it costs him
when he attempts a flamboyant smash that goes wide and gifts Hewitt a break
point. A double fault means it is all square.
Hewitt 3-4 Lopez
Hewitt is opting to serve and volley on his rivals backhand but the tactic fails
when a flighted return evades him. It is the only point he drops and he hammers
down an ace to finish the game.
Hewitt 2-4 Lopez
Lopez is showing wonderful variety in his groundstrokes and his radar is tuned
into the net cord which helps him out again as he holds to 15.
Hewitt 2-3 Lopez
A double fault leaves Hewitt 0-30 down and when the Australian then nets a loose
forehand Lopez has three break points. He converts the third, but only after his
opponent is runs down a shot that flicks off the net cord but is unable to
return it.
Hewitt 2-2 Lopez
The 23rd seed pushes a forehand long on the first point and players risky tennis
on the third, running around to take shots on his forehand and leaving the court
open for Hewitt to drill a winner down the opposite line. However, he is still
good enough to win the set.
Hewitt 2-1 Lopez
Lopez is showing some deft touches, particularly on one venture into the net.
But Hewitt is equally adept when going forward and is showing his customary
speed around the court early to hold to 30.
Hewitt 1-1 Lopez
The Spaniard starts with a good service game holding to love after some fizzing
serves and getting the better of two baseline rallies.
Hewitt 1-0 Lopez
There's something for everyone early doors. The second point of the match is a
16-stroke baseline rally which Lopez takes with the help of a net cord. Hewitt
serves and volleys the third point before two aces help him hold to 15.
| Hewitt Dashes Spanish Hopes |
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Lleyton Hewitt marched confidently into a semi-final with the defending champion Roger Federer by posting an impressive straight-sets victory over Spain's Feliciano Lopez. The third-seeded Australian needed just under two hours to eliminate the 26th-seeded Lopez, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).
So well did Hewitt play that he asserted afterwards: "I was seeing the ball like a football."
The left-handed Lopez was the first Spaniard to reach Wimbledon's last eight since Manuel Orantes in 1972, and a guest of honour in the Centre Court VIP box was Manuel Santana, the only Spaniard ever to win the Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles title, in 1966.
Lopez, earning the support of the crowd as the underdog, opened on a high note by capturing Hewitt's serve in the fifth game but Hewitt, behind a barrage of aces, did not need long to square the match by breaking back to 4-4 when the Spaniard double-faulted to drop serve.
Hewitt frequently found Lopez's ability to hit the acutest of angles troublesome but his strategy was to offer the 23-year-old from Toledo no pace on which to feed. Instead, Hewitt relied on the relentless accuracy of his medium pace groundstrokes to tempt Lopez into indiscretion and error. This, allied to the Spaniard's tendency to perpetrate serving errors at crucial times, won him the opening set after 39 minutes on a Lopez double-fault, his first of the match.
Things got no better for Lopez in the second set, either. Tending to overhit his forehands, he could not manage to dent Hewitt's solidity on serve and he suffered a rarely-invoked penalty for "hindrance" in the third game by calling a Hewitt serve out. The serve was indeed out, but Lopez's shout was deemed by the Swedish umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, a hindrance and he was penalised a point for it.
Rock solid on his own serve, Hewitt struck at a vital time as Lopez served to stay in the second set at 4-5. He did not help his own cause with a second double-fault or two loose backhands, the second of which put a jubilant Hewitt two sets up.
Lopez's desperate bid to get back into contention was frustrated by the fact that Hewitt was having his best match of the tournament, with his speed around the court backed up by top-class serving. The Australian hit three aces in succession at one stage and finished with 15 in all. Even though he managed to prolong the third set into a tiebreak, Lopez could not dent Hewitt's superiority and was swept away by seven points to two.
Written by Ronald Atkin
In search of dream, Lopez gets a nightmare
By Bud Collins, Globe Correspondent | June 30, 2005
LONDON -- Other than the Red Sox of '67, wasn't there another celebrated
Impossible Dream? Oh yeah, Spanish guy named Don Quixote gets on his horse and
goes head-to-head with a lance against some windmills.
But he loses. TKO. Dragged off by his cornerman, Sancho Panza. Jim Lonborg knows
that quixotic feeling, but has recovered nicely.
Quixote was a man of La Mancha, and yesterday, on Centre Court, Feliciano Lopez,
a man of Madrid, was working on his impossible dream of a Wimbledon championship
in the quarterfinals. Sure he was only No. 33 in the universe, but Lopez, a
graceful, slim 6-foot-2-inch lefthander, had been dancing a fandango through the
tournament.
After a five-set scuffle with German Bjorn Pfau, Lopez had evicted two of the
favorites: Marat Safin and 2004 semifinalist Mario Ancic, losing zero sets and
merely one service game. Feliciano had the dazed Russian talking to himself
about that ''impossible lefthanded serve on grass" and drove the tall Croat to
racket-pulverizing fury.
This was an unnatural act for a Spanish hombre. Not for 33 years had one of his
people risen to the quarters: Manolo Orantes, also a lefty, semifinal loser to
Ilie Nastase in 1972. Only Manolo Santana in 1966 had taken the crown back to
Spain, where he was feted and decorated by the dictator, Franco, and entitled to
be addressed as ''Ilustrissimo."
Lopez, who is 23, wasn't looking for a medal, just three more illustrious wins.
An atypical Spaniard, he likes grass as much as Rosinante, Quixote's horse. He's
as daring as Quixote himself, inviting danger by pressing forward to score with
volleys. You don't see much of that around here these days. Nor do you see many
who change the speeds, spins, and directions of their shots in such a deft,
free-flowing style as Lopez's.
This was all looking good -- for about 15 minutes.
There was just one problem: the nuclear-powered windmill across the net in the
extremely mobile person of Lleyton Hewitt. With his arms and legs constantly
churning like the blades that struck down Quixote, Hewitt, the 2002 champion in
this precinct, made Lopez's dream impossible. Brushing aside Lopez's 4-2 lead,
Hewitt became an absolutely Scroogeian server, zipping through the next 14 games
on the loss of eight points, facing no breakers, en route to a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6
(7-2) victory.
Lopez said of Hewitt, ''I know he's a quite good serve, but not as he did today.
He did I think so good."
So good with 15 aces and 10 service winners that Lopez may have been thinking,
''Stop the windmill -- it's going around too fast for me."
What he did say: ''I get a chance in the first set, no? I made the break. This
is the only chance I get in the whole match. So once I didn't make this one, he
didn't give me any other chance.
''Lleyton is a big player, no? He's doing everything. Everything he's doing,
he's doing good. But, for sure, one of the best things he's doing is the return.
And he's not missing, like unforced errors, no? He did 12 in the whole match.
This is one interesting thing to see."
Well, nobody had a better look than Lopez. Although Manolo Santana's point of
viewing wasn't bad. Seated as a guest in the Royal Box, the good-natured old
champ was sorry that he couldn't supply any effective inspiration.
Andy Roddick, who barely rescued himself from a French frying by Sebastien
Grosjean (3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3) to enter the semis opposite Swede Thomas
Johansson, admires Hewitt's hyperenergetic approach, too. ''Lleyton may not win
this tournament, but nobody's going to intimidate him. Not Roger [Federer] or
me. That's the way he is. He never lets up."
A windmill in a typhoon wouldn't move around faster than Hewitt on a tennis
court. It's hard to believe that a guy with his brilliant footwork could trip
descending a staircase. But that's what happened to Lleyton in his Sydney home a
few months ago. He tumbled and cracked two ribs, keeping him out of the French
Open.
Back in top shape, No. 2 Hewitt is justifiably annoyed that he must take on the
game's prime rib, No. 1 Federer, in the semis. ''Bit strange, No. 1 and 2 in a
semifinal."
That it is. But Hewitt was bumped to third seed by the tourney committee, giving
No. 3 Roddick the second seed and a less troublesome route to the final and,
probably, Federer.
Still, Hewitt isn't daunted, even though Federer has won their last seven
face-offs. ''It would be like playing a final. If you knock the best player off,
you've got to be pretty confident going into the final. He's the best but I
believe I can beat him."
Hewitt, chasing balls down like a greyhound, made Lopez hit too many of them.
The ever pumped-up Aussie grabbed the title three years ago by playing not a
single serve-and-volley point during the tournament. That's practically
sacrilegious in his homeland where, traditionally, volleying has been considered
as essential as cold beer. Astoundingly he did serve-and-volley his way to two
points, saying, ''Oh, you have to mix it up."
We'll be hearing more of Lopez, who brings finesse to the game and helped Spain
win the Davis Cup. He thought it was ''a nice, nice day for me to play on Centre
Court for the first time." And it was, for him and Hewitt, sunny with clouds
looking like castles in Spain.
Feliciano did his fandango until Lleyton cut in with a clang-o.
Don Quixote could have sympathized.
************************************************
June 30, 2005
Electrifying Hewitt plugs into power from his personal grid
By Giles Smith
Times Online
YOU would describe Lleyton Hewitt’s 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 quarter-final victory over
Feliciano López, of Spain, yesterday as entirely comfortable, if Hewitt looked
like someone for whom comfort was even a remote possibility. The No 3 seed must
be the biggest fidget to inhabit a tennis court this side of Andre Agassi.
Between points, he is forever twitching and picking away at things — his cap,
his racket, his sleeves, his shorts, his shoelaces, all in one fast, continuous
motion. Slowed down slightly and set to music, it would look like break dancing.
Hewitt is one busy Aussie.
Still, it rewrites the usual mythology. Hewitt fiddles, then burns his opponent.
Yesterday it was López’s turn to smoulder and look hurt while Hewitt pulled
(among other things) his socks up, producing tennis that, at times, must surely
have ridden right out to the boundary of his talent and had a good look over the
fence. One of Lleyton’s compatriots broke the silence to say, “Go on, Lleyton,
you good thing!” — a little Kath and Kim moment on the Centre Court. But, in
some of Hewitt’s blindingly powerful play yesterday, “good” wasn’t even the half
of it.
It was quite a pairing they made. One for the romantics? Well, there was López
with his luxury hair, his long, lithe limbs, his fetching way of hitching his
shorts on to his waxed thighs and his boyband profile. And there was Hewitt.
There are players who make tennis look easy and Hewitt is not among them. (López,
with his languid service action and extravagant, photo-ready ground strokes,
comes far closer.) In Hewitt’s blue-collar version of the game, the wiring and
the plumbing are visible: his play betrays the effort that it costs, right from
the way that he appears, as he bends and then extends, to be pulling his serve,
against its wishes, out of his shoe. It’s popular, though, and it works. López
was only seeded No 26 but had entered trailing glory. Two developed powers of
the game, Marat Safin and Mario Ancic, had fallen to him in the earlier rounds —
in straight sets, no less. López was also known to be a Spanish serve and volley
player who was comfortable on grass, which, in terms of rarity, is pretty much
the equivalent of being a horse with two heads or an honest politician.
Yet Hewitt, in a concentrated blaze, restricted him to only one opportunity to
get a grip on the match and then refused to let him capitalise on it. That
chance came in the fifth game of the first set, when Hewitt, who was still
range-finding, pretty much dumped his serve, gift-wrapped, into López’s grateful
arms. (López, the recipient of many similar gifts against a sulking Ancic, must
have been beginning to confuse Wimbledon with Christmas).
Three games later, Hewitt closed the gap. López’s plan appeared to be to try to
bring Hewitt lunging to the net whenever possible, exploiting his general
antipathy to areas north of the baseline, where the air grows suddenly thinner.
López was charging in behind his serve as well, although in this game it proved
costly, with Hewitt managing to send a 133mph serve skimming past his opponent’s
shoulder and into the corner. Hewitt had soon advanced to break point, whereupon
López gave up his precious lead on a double fault.
Essentially, López’s Wimbledon ended there. Hewitt broke him again in the
twelfth game, with an astonishingly quick-handed return of serve that López
could get only a small and unresponsive portion of his racket to. That gave
Hewitt the first set and a new air of still greater vigour and invincibility. He
broke López in the tenth game of the second set and took two mini-breaks off him
in the tie-break for the third, a portion of the match that yielded its best
rally, won, of course, by Hewitt. It was meant to be López dishing out the heavy
service treatment, but Hewitt was even dominating in this area, too.
His reward, if that is the word, is to run into Roger Federer in the
semi-finals. What chance Hewitt fiddling and burning in this company? López was
touchingly humble about this. “Roger is another level, no? He’s not me.” Hewitt,
meanwhile, was addressing himself as phlegmatically as he could to the problem.
“You’ve got to clean your service games up, wait for your opportunities,” he
said. “
You’re not going to get a whole heap. He doesn’t have a lot of big weaknesses
out there, but you’ve got to try and pin something down. Even then, he can still
find ways to win when he’s not hitting the ball great.” Sounds positive?
Best pray for an off-day, perhaps. Coupled, preferably, with an on-day like
Hewitt had yesterday. Then, who knows what we may see?
******************************************
Hewitt highlights flaw in seedings
ALAN PATTULLO
The Scotsman
June 30, 2005
IT WILL take an immovable object to deflect Lleyton Hewitt's irresistible charge
towards another Wimbledon title, and in Roger Federer the Australian might have
cause to rue an eccentric seeding system which has contrived to present a final
before a final.
Hewitt has admirably - and somewhat surprisingly - managed to keep a lid on his
anger, although a semi-final outcome which should have been expected has led to
fresh questions being asked of Wimbledon officials, who nominated Hewitt as a
third seed despite his No2 position in the world. It meant he featured in the
Federer half of the draw, and though he has hoovered up the opposition so far,
including Feliciano Lopez in straight sets yesterday, it will take a superhuman
performance from Hewitt if he is to make a satisfying point tomorrow, and defeat
Federer. It is their 17th meeting, and Hewitt will be hoping for a first win
since 2003.
"It's a bit strange the No1 and the No2 players in the world playing each other
in the semi-finals," said Hewitt last night, biting his slip slightly. "I would
definitely have liked it to have been the final, obviously. But for me it will
be like playing a final."
A man like Federer needn't fear who he plays, but Hewitt looks capable of
staging a shock against the Swiss reigning champion should he perform with the
unwavering precision he displayed yesterday in defeating the Spanish lefthander
Lopez. Incredibly Lopez was the first Spaniard to reach a Wimbledon
quarter-final since Manuel Orantes in 1972. It has not been so much the Spanish
waiter, but the Spanish wait. Lopez, however, won't now be able to emulate
Manuel Santana, the last Spaniard to lift the Wimbledon crown 39 years ago and
who watched yesterday's match from the Royal Box.
Lopez allowed nerves to get the better of him at the business end of the first
two sets, letting slip healthy positions on both occasions. He was a break of
serve up in the first when his left arm turned to lead, and he threw away the
advantage in rather insipid fashion. Indeed, Hewitt won the set on a Lopez
double-fault.
He had seemed to have composed himself in the second set before it all went awry
again, when a poor service game lost to love handed Hewitt an unassailable lead.
The third set was a tougher ask for Hewitt, but he dominated the tie-break and,
with two serves to come, led 5-2. Hewitt took full advantage of them both. "He
didn't give me a chance," smiled a rueful Lopez after losing 7-5, 6-4, 7-6
(7-2).
******************************************
Hewitt the master of disguise
Paul Weaver
Thursday June 30, 2005
The Guardian
It is not much fun coming up against Rory Bremner with a tennis racket.
Feliciano López thought he was playing Lleyton Hewitt yesterday but instead
found himself up against an opponent who served like Andy Roddick and shimmied
to the net as effortlessly as Roger Federer.
Poor López wore the bewildered expression of someone who had taken his dinghy
out for a gentle sail in the Solent only to find himself in the middle of the
Battle of Trafalgar.
He knew all about Hewitt's astonishing speed and famous return of serve. But he
did not expect service power too. It seemed a little unfair that a great
returner should serve so well. "Lleyton played a great match, no?" he said.
"Especially, he was serving unbelievable. I know he had quite a good serve but
not as he did today."
López is a Spaniard with golden hair and blue eyes and, contrary to the norm on
the Iberian peninsula, is renowned for his serve-volley game. Hewitt, though,
outserved him on his way to a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 quarter-final win. The Australian
third seed banged down 15 aces to his opponent's six and got more of his first
serves in too. It was billed as a match between puncher and counter-puncher but
both men went off swinging from the bell.
López had surprised many by defeating the fifth seed Marat Safin and last year's
semi-finalist Mario Ancic on the way to his first appearance in a grand slam
quarter-final but, when the big points came along yesterday, his nerve was as
brittle as a breadstick.
The left-hander played well at the start, which was not easy because, when he
followed his serve to the net, he found the ball tangled up with his shoelaces,
such was the cussed nature of Hewitt's returns.
But his serve and muscular forehand were enough to put him 4-2 up in the opening
set. His nerve faltered in the eighth game, though, and he double-faulted to
allow Hewitt to level at 4-4. He got twitchy again when he served to stay in the
set. Caught in mid-court, he netted a sitter and that was 7-5.
In the second set, much like the first, López played just as well as Hewitt
until it mattered. Then he froze. It is no good looking like a Greek statue if
you move like one. Serving to save the set once more he won one point.
López is a fan of Real Madrid but, if he played football, he would be a duffer
at penalty shoot-outs. When the third set went to a tie-break, his followers
feared the worst and got it. Hewitt played it superbly, with a clench-fisted
"C'mon" after every successful point.
López breathed deeply but inhaled only defeat. He hit the ball into the bottom
of the net and the Australian had four match points; one was enough.
John McEnroe said he had never seen Hewitt play better. "I felt like I played
pretty well all around today," said the man himself. "My whole game came
together well. In the end I was seeing the ball like a football."
Was he peeved to be seeded third despite his No2 world ranking - which means he
now faces the first seed Federer in the semis. "No, not really," he said. "It's
a bit strange playing in a semi-final, the No1 and No2 player in the world. I
don't know how many times it would have happened that the top two ranked players
play in a semi-final in a slam." He sounded pretty angry.
The fact that Hewitt has won eight of his 17 matches with Federer would suggest
that he has a good chance tomorrow. Federer, though, has won their last seven
matches, including a quarter-final here last year.
"I'm not sure what the key is," Hewitt said, scratching his head. "I'll have to
try and find something." But he already has. Federer, like López, will not be
expecting a professional impressionist.
********************************************
Hewitt in control of opponents - and emotions
By Richard Hinds
London
June 30, 2005
The Age
The strange thing about Taylor Dent's strong attack on Lleyton Hewitt after
their occasionally fiery, but hardly apocalyptic fourth-round match was that, by
his once-combustible standards, Hewitt had not stepped out of line.
You might say he was no choir boy - but only if you believe that choir boys do
not smoke in the belltower or sneak an unauthorised sip of altar wine.
Most noticeably, Hewitt swore after an overrule went against him, an offence
that forced him to hunt for enough loose change to pay a $US2500 fine, which
was, by $US1500, the heaviest levelled at the tournament so far, suggesting the
offending word was not the type to be used before midnight. Not even on SBS.
But, given Hewitt is just one of 20 players to be fined for some type of heinous
crime - obscene language, ball or racquet abuse etc - you could hardly say he is
a lone maverick.
Against Dent, he also showed frustration on other occasions, telling one
lineswoman to "wake up" and challenging the umpire on a few crucial points. Yet,
while Dent tends to act more like a slightly miffed toddler than a dark avenger,
the American also made regular visits to the umpire's chair.
While Dent accused Hewitt of intimidating chair umpire Enric Molina, the
impression during an entertaining match marred by some strange calls, many
corrections and frequent overrules was that it had not been Hewitt's brooding
presence that was to blame for the poor officiating.
Rather, officials had botched things themselves - or, at worst, been intimidated
by Hewitt's reputation rather than his behaviour.
That seemed apparent at a crucial stage in the second set when Molina announced
an overrule in a voice so gentle it was as if he did not want to wake the
well-heeled types who were sleeping off their morning tea in royal box.
It was not until Hewitt heard the score announced that he realised the overrule
had been made, forcing him to turn on his heels and march to the umpire,
claiming: "You did not say out! How could you say out!"
But while Dent's claims that Hewitt intimidates officials brought the issue of
the Australian's behaviour into the spotlight yet again, it seemed an unusual
time for the debate to resurface.
Perhaps the real question to ponder is whether Hewitt is now being punished -
or, in the case of officials wary of his reputation, rewarded - for past
indiscretions, or whether he still walks on the wrong side of the very blurry
line that separates acceptable behaviour and boorish gamesmanship.
At Wimbledon, before his match against Dent, Hewitt had dipped sparingly into
his repertoire of fist-pumping exultations. This was not the player whose
behaviour had divided national opinion, but a man far more in control of his
emotions. Yes, he would smoulder and brood as he sought perfection. But, even in
the match with Dent, he was intimidating only like an old lady with a sharp
umbrella, not like a street hood with a machete.
Of course, like anyone, Hewitt has to live with the sins of the past - even if
he has never acknowledged his indiscretions. Yet, it might also be said, the
fact his behaviour here was highlighted by Dent can be partly considered a sign
of how relatively well behaved the modern generation of players are.
"Today I was conscious of trying not to let anything affect me, basically, and
just think, 'All right, well, that's out of the way, it's of my control, why
dwell on it?', " Hewitt said of some of the line-call disputes in the fourth
round. "I think I handled that situation pretty well." And, while the time bomb
still ticks, so far you would have to say he was right.
| Roddick, Federer, Hewitt through to Wimbledon semifinals |
| June 29, 2005 WIMBLEDON, England (Ticker) - Andy Roddick's hitting partner gave him all he could handle in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. The second-seeded American still came through. Roddick reached his third straight semifinal at the All England Club with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over friend and ninth seed Sebastien Grosjean of France on Wednesday. After failing to convert any of his five break points and losing serve once in the first set, Roddick dominated the next two sets, breaking Grosjean a total of four times and saving the one break point he faced. Grosjean, who had reached the semifinals here the last two years, broke Roddick in the sixth game of the fourth set and saved a break point in the next game en route to forcing a decisive set. But in the fifth, Roddick jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and held thereafter to move on. "It felt good," Roddick said of the win. "I think everybody knew this was going to be a pretty tough match. I mean, Sebastien's not playing like this on grass by accident. I mean, he's proven that he can play really, really well on this surface over the last couple years. So, you know, (it was) a big one to get through." Grosjean lost to Roddick for the seventh straight time after winning their first encounter. "I am a little disappointed, yes," Grosjean said. "Each time I was with him at the beginning of the set I won the set. But in the second, third and fifth sets I gave him the opportunities to be ahead in the score and play his game. I was a little bit up and down with my serve and at the end it was not enough." Roddick has won two five-set matches here after losing his previous five that went the distance. He also defeated Italian lucky loser Daniele Bracciali in five sets in the second round. "It feels good to win a couple five-setters in the row," Roddick said. "Who knows, one more, maybe it will be called a winning streak." Roddick next will face No. 12 Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who continued his best run here with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-2 triumph over 2002 Wimbledon finalist and 18th seed David Nalbandian of Argentina. The oldest player in the men's quarterfinals, the 30-year-old Johansson broke Nalbandian once in the first set, twice in the second and three times in the third. The Swede is having his best Grand Slam since winning the 2002 Australian Open. "I think for the moment I'm playing as good as I can," Johansson said. "I'm very, very happy with the way I played today, especially with the way I was returning the ball today." After dropping his first encounter with the 27-year-old Grosjean, the 22-year-old Roddick had won six in a row over his occasional hitting partner, including a straight-set win at the grasscourt warmup event at Queen's two weeks ago - an event the American went on to win for a third straight year. Roddick is 2-0 lifetime against Johansson, posting a four-set win in the second round here in 2001 and a 6-3, 6-4 hardcourt win at Bangkok last year. "He's a very tough player," Roddick said of the Swede. "He serves well. He returns well. He's a very complete player. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. You know, it will be tough. But I feel good about the way I'm playing right now." "I think I have a good chance against Andy, as well," Johansson said. "It's going to be a very tough match, and I have a lot of respect for him, as well. But I think if I can play my best tennis, I think I have a shot." Earlier, top seed Roger Federer and No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt posted straight-set wins to set up a semifinal clash of the last three champions here. The two-time defending champion and world No. 1 from Switzerland, Federer defeated Fernando Gonzalez, the 21st seed from Chile, 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2). Gonzalez had been the only men's quarterfinalist not to drop a set in the first four rounds. The 23-year-old Federer, who won the final six points of the third-set tiebreak, extended his grasscourt winning streak to a whopping 34 matches. He also improved to 5-0 all time against the 24-year-old Gonzalez, who was aiming for his first Grand Slam semifinal. "All in all, I'm really pleased," Federer said. "I really got to his backhand well and thought it was really a match like I wanted to play against him. I know he can't play through the entire five-setter, you know, hitting just incredible forehands. He's going to have his lapses. That's when I had to take advantage of it." The only player to reach the quarterfinals in the first three Grand Slams this year, Federer is 56-3 in 2005 but has yet to claim a major after winning three in 2004. Federer lost to the eventual champion in the semifinals of both the Australian Open (Marat Safin) and the French Open (Rafael Nadal). Federer hopes to end that trend against Hewitt in Friday's semifinals. The 24-year-old Australian, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, posted a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) triumph over No. 26 Feliciano Lopez, the first Spaniard to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Manuel Orantes in 1972. "My whole game came together well," Hewitt said. "You know, I needed it to. He's a dangerous opponent, especially on this surface with a big lefty serve. I had to try to dictate play as much as possible and I was able to do that. I didn't put too many feet wrong today. I went out there with a game plan and I stuck to it the whole time." Lopez broke once in the first set but did not even earn a break point in the next two sets. "I know he's a quite good serve, but not as he did today," Lopez said. "I get a chance in the first set, no? I made the break. This is the only chance I get in the whole match. So once I didn't get this one, he didn't give me any other chance during the second and third set." Federer is 9-7 all time against Hewitt but has won the last seven encounters, including a straight-set romp in last year's U.S. Open final. "On grass I think anything can happen against him," Federer said of Hewitt. "He knows how to win the title here. I'll just take it a match at a time. I think it's a tough match ahead of me." "Obviously I've lost to him the last couple of years, last six or seven times, but it's all been in the last two years or so when he's really dominated pretty much everyone," Hewitt said. "You know, obviously he's got to be very confident against anyone, and especially in Centre Court here where the last two years he's pretty much made his own." Hewitt, who lost to Federer in the quarterfinals here last year, was upset that he was seeded in the same half of the draw as the Swiss star, feeling he deserved the second seed that went to Roddick, who lost to Federer in last year's final. |
| Hewitt Eyes Lopez Challenge |
Lleyton Hewitt's bid for a second Wimbledon title to go with the one he won in 2002 moved a step nearer fulfillment at The Championships today when he repelled the serve-volley attack of Taylor Dent in impressive fashion,. 6-4 6-4 6-7(9) 6-3
This is the third time in five years Hewitt has got to the last eight, so he remains on course for a semi-final against the champion, Roger Federer, provided he can fight off the surprise surge of Spain's Feliciano Lopez in Wednesday's quarter-finals.
Hewitt is happy with his form after having missed two months of this season because of a toe operation and two cracked ribs. He did not come back to the tour until the grasscourt tournament at Queen's, so claims he is still feeling his way back. "I feel like I'm hitting the ball well and my game went up another notch or two today, which it needed to," he said after beating Dent. "I knew it was going to be a dangerous match, so I was glad I was able to play better when it mattered.
"I felt there was a question mark against me because I hadn't played that many matches coming into this tournament. It was especially important for me to get through the first week, just to find a way to get through those matches.
"Now you come up against the name players, the real challengers for the title. That's when you've got to play your best tennis. But I'm still a long way from holding the trophy."
This is only Hewitt's sixth tournament of 2005, but the fact that he won the Sydney title and lost in the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells has helped his confidence. "I go out there and I play to win. I expect to win. So obviously I'd love to hold the trophy up. But there are still three matches before I can do that. The names get tougher and tougher. So I'll go out there and give it a hundred per cent, leave it all out there on court. For me, that's a success."
As for Lopez, Hewitt describes him as a 'different' Spanish player from the normal run of baseliners. Although inexperienced in the later stages of a Grand Slam, Lopez remains dangerous in Hewitt's opinion because he has played for Spain in the Davis Cup: "So he knows about big-time situations," Hewitt said.
Written by Ronald Atkin
| Hewitt getting ready to really start playing at Wimbledon |
| By CHRIS LEHOURITES, AP Sports Writer June 27, 2005 WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Now that Lleyton Hewitt has reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, he says it's time to start playing his best tennis. The third-seeded Hewitt, who has missed much of this year because of injury, beat American Taylor Dent 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3 Monday in the fourth round. ``The first week was especially important for me to get through,'' Hewitt said. ``Now you come up against the name players, the real challengers for the title.'' Hewitt's next opponent, left-hander Feliciano Lopez, is an unexpected quarterfinalist -- the first Spaniard to reach the men's final eight since Manuel Orantes in 1972. But Hewitt knows that Lopez is dangerous. ``I'll just be looking at Lopez's game, how that matches up with mine, areas of his game that maybe I can exploit a little bit more,'' said Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion. ``His serve and his forehand are his two big weapons.'' Top-seeded Roger Federer and No. 2 Andy Roddick also advanced, along with Sebastien Grosjean, Thomas Johansson, Fernando Gonzalez and David Nalbandian. Lopez upset Marat Safin in the third round and 2004 semifinalist Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. ``He's dangerous with that big left-handed serve,'' Hewitt said. ``He's had two very good wins in his last two matches. He's not easy to beat.'' Hewitt beat Lopez in straight sets in the third round of the U.S. Open last year. ``I was seeing the ball like a football that night,'' Hewitt said. Hewitt underwent foot surgery this spring, then missed the French Open after cracking two ribs when he fell down stairs at his home in Sydney. Hewitt hasn't won a tournament since mid-January, but he believes he can win his second Wimbledon title. ``I go out there and I expect to win. I got out there and I play to win,'' Hewitt said. ``Obviously, I'd love to hold the trophy up, but there's still three matches to go before I can do that. ``The names get tougher and tougher the further you get in the tournament.'' Those names don't get any tougher than Federer, the two-time defending champion, who looms as a potential semifinal opponent for Hewitt. Federer, who beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6), plays Gonzalez on Wednesday. Gonzalez, the first Chilean to reach the men's quarterfinals since Ricardo Acuna in 1985, defeated Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-3. In the other half of the draw, Roddick will face Grosjean, a semifinalist the past two years. ``He has proven that he's one of the top five grass courters in the world. That's definitely tough to deal with,'' Roddick said of his friend. ``But I feel like I'm playing pretty well. I feel confident.'' Roddick downed Guillermo Coria 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Grosjean eliminated Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Nalbandian, the 2002 runner-up, plays Johansson in the other quarterfinal. David Nalbandian beat Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-0 and Johansson topped Max Mirnyi 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. |
| Hewitt Dents Taylor's Run |
Lleyton Hewitt was particularly focused when he opened proceedings on Centre Court today. The Australian, seeded No.3 despite his world ranking of two behind Roger Federer is keen to regain the Wimbledon title. He was, however, very conscious of the fact that his opponent, Taylor Dent, had kept him on court for three-hours and six-minutes the last time they met on grass.
This time their clash lasted one-minute over three hours with the outcome
going Hewitt's way, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3.
In that 2001 third round match, Hewitt clawed his way back from a set down to
win in the fifth. This time, a steely eyed Hewitt came out guns blazing and
within13-minutes had established a 4-0 lead, denting Dent's heavy serves with
some blinding returns.
The American, only recently returned to the circuit following an ankle
injury, finally overcame his hesitant start, breaking Hewitt in the eighth game
to start applying pressure real pressure. And as a consequence, Hewitt's first
set dominance was not so evident in the second as the American 24-year-old's
serve and volley game started to make an impression. He also managed to embroil
the 24-year-old Aussie in lengthy exchanges, bringing out the best in both
players.
The lob became a more evident weapon against Dent, but was used sparingly.
Similarly, Hewitt's advances to the net were rare but on those occasions that he
did venture forward, he was inevitably successful. The third set became crucial
and was consequently hard fought, neither player able to gain any advantage
until the tie-break where, again, Hewitt took command only to waste two match
points with errant groundstrokes. Dent snatched the set on his second
opportunity.
For those who remember their clash in 2001 there was a touch of déjà vu as
Hewitt then also squandered two match points, albeit in the fourth, before going
on to claim victory in the decider. On this occasion, it took another 40 minutes
before he was again poised to win the match and this time he didn't let it slip
away, jumping with delight as he watched a Dent return drop just long.
In his next match Hewitt faces another player who likes to hit a big serve.
Feliciano Lopez is the surprise quarter-finalist but having dealt with 18 aces
from Dent, and hit 11 of his own, Hewitt can look ahead with confidence.
Written by Henry Wanc
| Rd 3 Hewitt Ousts Gutsy Gimelstob |
Lleyton Hewitt reached the last 16 of Wimbledon for the fourth time in
five years when he defeated lucky loser Justin Gimelstob 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-5 in
a little over two and a half hours.
The Australian was roared on by a vociferous following which included his
fiancee Bec Cartwright, the TV soap star. When Hewitt removed his white cap,
worn back to front to salute his followers his smile was as wide as Sydney
harbour.
Hewitt has been reluctant to become involved in the debate over his third
seeding not reflecting his standing in the world rankings. The global No.2 chose
to keep his thoughts to himself, electing to let his tennis do the talking. The
2002 champion reached the third round in good nick with victories against
Christophe Rochus and Jan Hernych who took him to a fourth set.
Hewitt had been rusty coming into the tourmament. A foot operation in March was
followed by the cracking of two ribs during an accident at home in Sydney. It
all meant he was unable to play again until the Stella Artois Championships at
Queen's Club two weeks ago.
But the victory to take him into the second week of The Championships against
Gimelstob proved he is fast coming back to form. Hewitt must have taken
confidence from the fact that as his only previous two meetings against lucky
losers ended in wins but in Gimelstob he faced an American who wears his heart
on his sleeve as proudly as the Australian does.
The world No.123 flung his frame around left and right to cut off Hewitt's
attempted passing shots at the net. It tested Hewitt's resolve in the opening
set. Gimelstob's big serve proved tough to break as the American continued to
test the strength of his bones as they thudded onto the grass.
Eventually something had to give and he took an injury time-out to be treated
for a shoulder problem at the end of the first set after a particularly jarring
collision with the turf. Unfortunately for him his efforts had not been enough
to win it.
Gimelstob, who earned his place in the draw thanks to the late withdrawal of
Andre Agassi, gamely carried on, refusing to give his opponent anything.
However, the Australian - clenching his fist and roaring "come on" to himself on
several occasions - took a two set lead as his street fighter's instinct came to
the surface.
In the third set, Hewitt's consistent ability to retrieve finally broke Gimelstob's spirit in the crucial 11th game. Gimelstob thought he had hit a winner at deuce on his serve but the athletic Hewitt, keeping his body low, stretched to his left to unleashed a blistering double-backhanded pass that sped beyond his diving opponent. The American, seemingly deflated, hit a double fault to give Hewitt the break and the Australian served out.
Written by Mike Donovan
| Gimelstob dives all over Centre Court, but can't beat Hewitt |
| By CHRIS LEHOURITES, AP Sports Writer June 24, 2005 WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- No one can accuse Justin Gimelstob of giving up. The 28-year-old American repeatedly threw his body onto the Centre Court lawn Friday, diving in pursuit of shots, but still couldn't beat third-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in the third round at Wimbledon. ``I am a good diver, but I am under no delusion of the fact that it compensates for other flaws,'' said Gimelstob, who lost 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-5 to the 2002 champion. Gimelstob's wit and candid appraisals of his abilities made him an entertaining interview subject this week.And he'll talk about anything, such as his career highlight. ``I've played Davis Cup a couple times,'' he said with a smile. ``I've cost a few Davis Cup captains their job.'' While Gimelstob endured a lopsided defeat, his effort and theatrics delighted the crowd. In the third set, he used body English to will a let-cord shot over the net, then fell to his knees and crawled to the net to kiss the tape. ``I think that was my first let cord of '05,'' Gimelstob said. ``I was having fun. I was trying to enjoy myself and also trying to be competitive and put myself in a position to win.'' The match wasn't all fun, however. Gimelstob has had back trouble for years and required his third cortisone shot of the year just to play in the tournament. On Friday, he battled a muscle injury in his chest and grimaced as a trainer massaged it during changeovers. He didn't use that as an excuse for losing to Hewitt. ``He's a better player than I am,'' Gimelstob said. ``And his career shows that.'' |
| Rd 2 Hewitt On a High |
Lleyton Hewitt booked his place in the third round by beating Jan Hernych 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. The Czech, ranked 66, made the third seed work hard in the middle phase of the match, but it was a losing battle.
Hernych got off to a depressing start, surrendering his serve immediately. Hewitt, on the other hand, was all instant confidence and authority despite the blazing summer heat of No.1 Court. Hernych could do little to halt the tide, and the set was gone inside the half hour.
Hewitt looked sharp and is clearly recovered from the surgery he underwent in March to remove a cyst from his right foot. It was not that injury which kept him out of last month's French Open (breaking a run of 25 consecutive Slam appearances) but an injury to two ribs, cracked in an accident at home in Sydney. He returned in time for some grass court preparation at Queen's, succumbing to Ivo Karlovic in the quarter-finals.
Back on No.1 Court, no one seemed more surprised than Hernych at the start of the second set when he managed to break Hewitt and went up 3-0. Hewitt's unforced error count was creeping up, and Hernych was less overawed. He held on long enough to win a set point at 5-3, but could not manage the clincher. Predictably Hewitt battled back to take it 7-5.
But the Czech had acquired a taste for the fight, and was not about to fold. Instead in the third set he broke Hewitt again for 4-2, and this time he held on. The Australian was angry with himself and went into maximum fist-pumping mode to get himself going. It worked, generating an instant break of serve, and Hewitt never looked back.
Time passes quickly in elite sport. One moment it seems as if a new player is set to dominate, the next someone still younger and hungrier has changed the story. Even though he is still just 24, Hewitt's Wimbledon victory of 2002 seems strangely distant. For a while the period after that triumph seemed punctuated by a mental uncertainty damaging the authority of Hewitt's game. The same period also witnessed the full flowering of Roger Federer's formidable talent.
Now Hewitt's problems appear to be receding, and he is once again becoming the player we first met. But during this Wimbledon it is highly likely the Australian will have to face both Marat Safin and Federer if he is even to reach the final, never mind lift the trophy.
Will it play on Hewitt's mind that he lost to Safin in this year's Australian final, and to Federer in last autumn's US Open final?
One step at a time. Next up for Hewitt is Justin Gimelstob, ranked 123 and a lucky loser from the qualifying tournament. But the amenable American is struggling with a back injury, and admits he will need to be "firing on all cylinders and ready to go to work" against Hewitt, who "brings so many skills to the table". A place in next Monday's last 16 is already beckoning the Australian.
Written by Kate Battersby
|
Rd 1
Hewitt Routs Rochus |
Impending fatherhood to look forward to, wedding arrangements to make and the small matter of a grand slam title to win - Lleyton Hewitt is a busy man at the moment.
As Bec Cartwright, soon to be Mrs Hewitt, looked on, her fiancé served his way into the second round, cruising past Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. He pinged down 19 aces, 32 unreturnable serves and 43 clean winners. Against that sort of form, Rochus did not stand a chance.
Rochus is the older, slightly taller but slightly less successful of the two Belgian brothers. He is two inches higher than his diminutive 5'5" sibling, Olivier, but, at No. 47, 12 places lower in the world pecking order. Olivier, whose greatest ambition in life is "to be taller", has had some memorable moments at Wimbledon, not the least of which was beating his brother in the opening round in 2002 and then going on to oust Marat Safin in the second.
Christophe's best result came in 2000 when he reached the second round. He was walloped by Sjeng Schalken when he got there but at least he had won a match.
Then again, the rest of the circuit has not been treating Rochus too kindly, either. Regardless of the surface or the time of year, he had managed to lose in the first round of eight tournaments on his way to Wimbledon. And, once Hewitt has worked out what to do about Rochus's slice and nippy wee legs, the Belgian never looked likely to improve on that record.
Once the first set had been banked, Hewitt began to run away with the match. From time to time Rochus would see the door slightly ajar, with the sight of a chance in the distance, and then Hewitt would slam it shut again. After an exchange of breaks at the start of the first set, Hewitt got his nose in front to take a 5-3 lead and from there he never looked back. And the better Hewitt got, the more Rochus looked like he desperately wanted to be somewhere else.
This is only Hewitt's second tournament since the middle of March. Hurting his foot in the final of the Indian Wells Masters, he had a minor operation to repair the damage but, just when he thought he was ready to return to active service, he fell down the stairs in his new Sydney home and cracked a rib. Easing his way back at Queen's Club 10 days ago, he was outgunned by Ivo Karlovic in the quarter-finals.
Since then Hewitt has clearly been hard at work on the practice court. Even if Rochus was not the strongest of opponents, the Australian still looked keen, eager and sharp. Applying the pressure at will, no part of his game seemed rusty and he was looking perfectly at home on the manicured turf of No.1 Court.
Written by Alix Ramsay
| Hewitt Carries Australia's Hopes |
The Australians keep a close eye on Lleyton
Hewitt, the nation's only player remotely in with a chance of winning the
Wimbledon title it once almost owned.
John Newcombe, three times singles Champion, poked his head around the door when
Hewitt was giving his press conference after winning his opening match on No. 1
Court. Tony Roche, Newcombe's old doubles partner when they dominated Wimbledon,
is at The Championships coaching Roger Federer but he would have known all about
Hewitt as well.
Hewitt cannot avoid being Australia's lone hope. He won the title three years
ago so he knows the business of winning on grass. In Australia they hope he
knows the business just as well this time.
"On Australia's part, we don't have enough players," said Hewitt as he assessed
his country's part in the tennis world. "What have we got? We've got four guys
in the main draw, the men's. One is a wild card, one is a protected ranking who
is going to retire soon, then we've got Wayne (Arthurs) and myself. It is really
not good enough for our country.
"We have got to try to find a way of producing young kids to come up. This
tournament is a huge tradition back in Australia. There is a tradition of
talking about Wimbledon - even people that don't understand tennis know what
Wimbledon is about. That is why it has held such a rich tradition in Australia.
We have had so many great champions here."
Hewitt started The Championships against Christophe Rochus of Belgium, winning
in straight sets. Afterwards he said: "All grass is different, but today it was
pretty slow, very slow. It felt very soft out there. I've got no doubt though
it's going to quicken up over the next two weeks the more play it gets on it. I
think because the show courts didn't have any play they were very green out
there today. But with both of us playing from the back of the court, we were
leaving imprints in the court. It was that soft."
Hewitt's year included two injury periods, the second of which put him out of
the French Open when he fell downstairs at his house in Sydney and cracked two
ribs. And now? "It's pretty good at the moment," the Australian said. "I felt a
couple of little twinges when I was practising. That was about it. Since then I
haven't felt a thing. It's been great. I've been able to get to the gym and do
pretty much as I normally would, which is good."
Hewitt assessed his serve compared with when he won the Wimbledon title. "Week
in, week out, I think it's better now," he said. "I've got more variety. Those
two weeks I served really well when I needed to, when I went on to win the
tournament here. I'm a good enough returner that I am going to get opportunities
to break if I can clean up my service games."
Written by Barry Newcombe
Seeding snub fires up Hewitt
By Leo Schlink
June 18, 2005
LLEYTON Hewitt yesterday retreated into familiar siege mentality as the ramifications of his contentious Wimbledon seeding demotion took hold.
Incensed by the snub, Hewitt declined to comment on the outcome of a perilous All-England Club draw which potentially pits him against defending champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals.
World No.2 and 2002 Wimbledon champion Hewitt was dumped to third seed and, after the marbles conspired against him, into the top half of the draw.
The calculations hurt Hewitt and helped Roddick -- until the American was left to face a possible dire second-round clash with Hewitt's tormentor Ivo Karlovic.
But in echoes of his rage against authority at the Australian Open in January, Hewitt immediately worked to vent his frustration with impressive practice match intensity against friend and rival Tim Henman.
While refusing to speak publicly on the issue, Hewitt is known to be offended by the seeding snub.
He is unlikely to take part in a weekend media conference with Andy Roddick, the man who benefited the most from the reshuffle, French Open winner Rafael Nadal and Australian Open champion Marat Safin today.
Hewitt will begin against Belgian baseliner Christophe Rochus for the right to challenge either Czech Jan Hernych or American James Blake, who has troubled the Australian greatly in six encounters without ever winning.
The Daily Telegraph
Danger in the underdone digger - Lleyton Hewitt seems flat, but Alan Trengove says don't write him off
Saturday, 18 June 2005
Western Advocate
Can he do it? In the face of Roger Federer's phenomenal record, and his own failure to win a grand slam title for three years, is Lleyton Hewitt capable of seizing a second Wimbledon crown?
He'll certainly need a lot of luck, and luck hasn't been very evident in Hewitt's life recently.
Outside tennis, things have been fine, what with his engagement to Bec Cartwright and news of impending fatherhood. On the court though he has been frustrated.
First, there was his loss in the Australian Open final. After surviving titanic struggles, niggling injuries and fatigue, Hewitt came close to being the first Aussie to capture the title since 1976. But finally Marat Safin overwhelmed him.
Then followed a foot injury that required surgery and a bad fall that left him with damaged ribs. He was out of the game for three months and missed the French Open.
And then, when he returned to competition, at Queens a fortnight ago, he had the misfortune to run into Ivo Karlovic, the Croatian giant who'd ousted him in the first round at Wimbledon in 2003. Hewitt again got clobbered by Ivo the Terrible - hardly a boost to his confidence.
Meanwhile, Hewitt's arch-rival Federer shrugged off his semi-final loss to Spain's Rafael Nadal at the French Open and rebuilt his own confidence by winning the grasscourt title at Halle, Germany, for a third successive year. It was Federer's seventh title of the year, his 20th successive triumph on grass.
And it took his streak of finals victories to 20.
If Federer does indeed win Wimbledon for the third successive year - and he's the hottest of favourites - he'll be only the third man to do so in the Open era, the others being the immortal Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras.
Hewitt has taken some ego-crushing blows from Federer. He has lost their past seven matches, the 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 drubbing he received in the final of last year's US Open his worst ever.
Yet Hewitt still believes that on any given day he can thwart the deceptively easygoing Swiss. Even to get a tilt at him in the semi- finals, however, he will have to negotiate a minefield.
"Hewitt's chances depend on how the draw pans out," Davis Cup teammate Todd Woodbridge says. "He needed a favourable draw to help him get into the tournament, and up to a point he's got one.
"Fortunately, he doesn't look likely to meet a serve-volleyer in the very early rounds. He simply hasn't played enough matches to be sharp in making the passing shots necessary to beat a hustler like Karlovic. This year, Lleyton's a little underdone."
The possible threats to Hewitt are the strong and aggressive American-Australian Taylor Dent, who he may meet in the fourth round, and either the lanky Croatian Mario Ancic, the hard-hitting Safin, or the 2003 finalist Mark Philippoussis.
Dent, a natural grasscourt player like his father Phil, who played Davis Cup for Australia, took Hewitt to 6-3 in the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2001. He beat him this year in Adelaide.
Ancic has a Wimbledon win over Federer in his record, and made the semi-finals last year. Safin and Philippoussis, who may clash in the second round, are the type of big hitters who can create havoc for Hewitt.
Safin claims he can't play on grass, but came very close to beating Federer in the Halle final.
"If the grass is slick and a little damp, Lleyton could be vulnerable," Woodbridge says. "When the grass dries out, he's more likely to come into his own. Before then, he could be worried by any guy with heavy shots and the determination to keep boring into the net to volley."
Hewitt's critics question whether he has the talent, as distinct from the guts and court speed, to seriously challenge the remarkably gifted Federer ever again. One English writer described the Aussie as "a little upstart who grabbed a few spoils between the Sampras and Federer eras".
"He's a baseline shuffler," the Brit said scornfully. "He never should have won a grasscourt title".
John McEnroe, commentating on the Queens final between Andy Roddick and Karlovic, made a fairer observation.
"Watching these guys," McEnroe said, "it's dumbfounding that Hewitt could win Wimbledon from the baseline.
"It shows he's one of the greatest defensive players of all time."
Tenacity and a game based on defence are not going to suffice at Wimbledon often, however. Because of his counter-punching style, Hewitt tends to hang back behind the baseline when trading shots with big hitters.
An opponent as versatile as Federer, who takes the ball early and can hit very hard and attempts clean winners, or who swiftly moves to the net, is presented with an expanse of court at his command.
Usually, it's only Hewitt's piston-like legs that keep him in a point.
Woodbridge believes Hewitt has made a significant effort to beef up his game. "I also think he's trying to get to the net more frequently," he says. "He realises that he's got to press a bit more. But against a player like Federer, it's tough. All Lleyton can do is practice a new approach and have the courage to use it against the best players.
"When he's returning from the backhand, for instance, he should take the ball early and hit it straight down the backhand line. Often you see him back off a bit and allow an opponent to avoid the pressure he should be under on a second serve."
The fact is, Hewitt is such a tremendous competitor that he remains a danger whenever he reaches the second week of a major, and Federer knows it.
He still to list Hewitt along with Safin and Roddick as his most respected rivals.
My own order of favouritism is: 1. Federer, 2. Hewitt, 3. Roddick, 4. Safin, and 5. Tim Henman, with Ancic, Philippoussis, Karlovic, Dent and Argentinas Guillermo Canas the best outsiders.
Men's Singles Preview
Thursday, 16 June, 2005
If Roger Federer is to win Wimbledon for a third successive year he will be
obliged to do it the hard way. The top seed and clear favourite has been offered
a fairly undemanding start to the defence of his crown, with an opening match
against Paul-Henri Mathieu, a 23-year old Frenchman who lives in Federer's
homeland, Switzerland, but the route will rapidly become more difficult if form
runs true.
Lying in Federer's path after a second round against a Czech, either Ivo Minar
or Michal Tabara, are such experienced tour names as Nicolas Kiefer, followed by
one of two Spaniards, Juan Carlos Ferrero or Tommy Robredo.
Fernando Gonzalez, the Chilean with a thunderous serve and booming forehand,
could await the champion in the quarter-finals, with a semi-final to follow
against either the third seed, Lleyton Hewitt, or the fifth seed, Marat Safin,
who defeated Federer in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before
going on to lift the title.
Safin, who threatened after a first round dismissal last year that he would
never return to the grass of Wimbledon, has thought better of that comment,
which is good news for the spectators and very likely bad news for his first
round opponent, the popular Thai Paradorn Srichaphan.
If he comes through that test unscathed, Safin could next play an opponent with
a giant reputation at The Championships, the Australian Mark Philippoussis, who
is in the draw courtesy of a wild card. This was awarded in recognition of
Philippoussis's appearance in the final two years ago, since when he has been
plagued by injury and ill-fortune.
Short though he is of recent success, Philippoussis's power game could unsettle
the Russian while the turf is still juicy in the early stages, and another grass
specialist, Mario Ancic of Croatia, could be planning to derail Safin in the
fourth round. Britain's Tim Henman can testify to the threat of the gangling
Ancic, having been eliminated by him in the quarter-finals 12 months ago.
Hewitt, the champion in 2002, has benefited from a good draw which should pose
few problems until Safin, or his conqueror, hoves into sight in the last eight.
Hewitt will be grateful for that luck of the early draw, since last week's
Stella Artois tournament at London's Queen's Club was his first since March,
following toe and rib injuries.
Hewitt could have wished for a more extended run than he managed at the Stella,
where he was blasted out in the quarter-finals by the giant Croatian, Ivo
Karlovic, but at least he will be grateful that the tallest man in tennis (6ft
10in) is well away from him this time in the other half of the draw.
Instead, it is the second seed, Andy Roddick, who must take on the most
dangerous floater at this year's Championships. Roddick, promoted to that second
seeding because he was the 2004 runner-up and is in excellent grass form,
defeated Karlovic in last Sunday's Stella tournament final, but it was a tight,
grim affair of two tie breaks. However, that victory will boost Roddick's
confidence, should the 22-year-old American be in need of it.
The gloomy news for Britain's only serious hope, Tim Henman, as he prepares for
h is 12th challenge for the Wimbledon title, is that he could face France's
Sebastien Grosjean, who eliminated him in the quarter-finals two years ago, and
if he gets past that testing hurdle it will probably mean facing Roddick and his
record serving prowess in the last eight. Things certainly get no easier for the
British number one in his bid to become the first from the host country to win
the men's singles title since Fred Perry 69 years ago.
As the only former champions in the men's draw, Federer and Hewitt will again be
among the select few with realistic chances of hoisting the trophy in a
fortnight's time. Since both are in the same half of the field, only one will
get as far as the final and a repeat of last year's Federer-Roddick epic is very
much on the cards.
Written by Ronald Atkin