Hewitt locked in for full 2012 schedule

Updated January 24, 2012 20:31:30

Retirement remains a dirty word as the resurgent Lleyton Hewitt eyes a full playing schedule in 2012 after exceeding "all expectations" at the Australian Open.

Hewitt is hunting down wildcards for the lucrative Indian Wells and Miami Masters after his vintage run to the Open's last 16 on the back of just one competitive outing in four months.

The little marvel even stole the first set of the tournament off world number one Novak Djokovic to briefly raise hopes of another famous Hewitt triumph at Rod Laver Arena on Monday night.

"He exceeded all expectations," Hewitt's manager David Drysdale said on Tuesday before predicting the dual major winner to return for a 17th successive crack at the Open in 2013.

"The body's going to determine what happens but, if you ask me now, I expect to see him back next year.

"The body's going to determine everything but he's striking the ball well, he's mentally as tough as anyone and there's absolutely no talk of retirement."

Turning 31 next month, Hewitt's immediate focus is on teaming with Bernard Tomic for Australia's Davis Cup World Group II play-off with China in Geelong from February 10-12.

"Then he's got wildcards for Memphis and San Jose and we're looking for wildcards into Miami and Indian Wells," Drysdale said.

Hewitt's charge to the second week - which will lift his ranking from 181st to around 130 - even pleased Roger Federer.

"I was really happy for him because he hasn't gotten a fair chance to prove still how good he is," Federer said after staying up late to watch his career-long rival's thrilling journey to the fourth round.

"Some judge him on his ranking, which is obviously not telling the truth."

I think he's been playing really well still the last two years - just didn't get enough matches and never really got on a roll because he was always interrupted the whole time.

"So I was really happy because he's had a really difficult draw. The first guy, (Cedrik-Marcel) Stebe, played amazing as well and I thought Lleyton did so well to come through.

"I was just really happy from then on that he's won another two matches in a great way."

Despite bowing out, Hewitt once again revelled in his beloved Rod Laver Arena as he fought back doggedly to force Djokovic to pull out all stops to reach the quarter-finals for the sixth straight year.

"Considering where I was a few months ago, three or four months ago, it's a pretty good effort," Hewitt said.

"It was a great atmosphere. Towards the end of the third set and the whole fourth set, the crowd got involved in it. It's great.

"They're the moments you play tennis for, to be out there in those situations.

"It's obviously disappointing anytime you lose, but I left it all on the court. That's all I could ask."

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 24, 2012 20:21:24

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Murray hints at strike over schedule

Updated September 20, 2011 10:14:10

Leading men's tennis players could go on strike if the ATP schedule is not reformed, world number four Andy Murray has claimed.

The 24-year-old Scot told the BBC that he had held several talks with other players at the US Open and they would be discussing the matter further at the Shanghai Masters early next month.

Matters came to a head at the US Open where rain forced some players such as Spanish star Rafael Nadal to play matches on three successive days then have one day off and travel to Europe to play Davis Cup.

The players were also incensed by the announcement last year by ATP chief executive Adam Helfant, who has since decided to leave the governing body, that the Paris Masters and the World Tour Finals would be played back-to-back, so two weeks have been saved in the 2012 ATP calendar.

However, Murray made clear the players' patience was wearing thin.

"It's (a strike) a possibility. I know from speaking to some players they're not afraid of doing that (striking)," said Murray, who was beaten by Nadal in the US Open semi-finals.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that but I'm sure the players will consider it."

Murray, who is still without a grand slam title but this year reached the Australian Open final and the last four of the other three, was adamant that their voices had to be heard and that a strike or boycott will be discussed in Shanghai.

"If we come up with a list of things we want changed - and everyone is in agreement but they don't happen - then we need to have some say in what goes on in our sport," he said.

"At the moment we don't.

"We'll sit down, talk about it with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and International Tennis Federation (ITF), see if they will come to a compromise and, if not, we'll go from there.

"We just want things to change, really small things. Two or three weeks during the year, a few less tournaments each year, which I don't think is unreasonable."

Murray said it was vital the issues were raised now.

"Right now it takes so long to change things," he said.

"To get another change implemented may take five or six years at the rate things are going and then all of us will be done (retired).

"We want it to happen sooner rather than later."

However, the sport's administrators have also claimed that the players have themselves to blame for the heavy schedule.

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said last week that complaints by Nadal over the Davis Cup scheduling were "inconsistent", saying players voted for the current dates, against the ITF's wishes, back in 2009.

The ATP too has hit back, saying it has taken into account the stresses on the players by reducing most finals to the best of three sets, allowing top eight seeds byes into the second rounds of tournaments and also increased the prizemoney.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, scotland, united-kingdom

First posted September 20, 2011 06:06:47

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