Lleyton Hewitt won his only US Open six years ago yet the
battling Australian still believes he has it in him to win
another.
With top-ranked Roger Federer and No 2 Rafael Nadal firmly in
command, however, the 26-year-old concedes there is not a lot of
room at the top of tennis.
"I'd love nothing more than to win another slam," Hewitt told
reporters Sunday. "Yeah, there's not that many guys I think that
are capable of winning them, to tell you the truth.
"I obviously put myself up there when I'm playing my best, just
behind those guys."
Hewitt was the world's best player in the early part of the
decade, following his 2001 US Open crown with a victory at
Wimbledon in 2002.
But at the same time that Federer began climbing, Hewitt's game
slipped. He is now ranked 16th and often an afterthought when
considering grand slam contenders.
The two-week US Open begins on Monday and Hewitt is hoping to
recapture the magic of 2001 when he crushed Pete Sampras 7-6 6-1
6-1 in the title match.
Hewitt is a crowd favorite at Flushing Meadows because of his
emotional play. He loves the atmosphere, especially in cavernous
Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"It's probably a bit louder crowd here in terms of people
yelling out occasionally during points," he said. "If you're
playing Americans, it gets pretty loud.
"It's the biggest stadium we get to play in front of any year
and I enjoy playing in big atmospheres. I look forward to the big
matches. This is one of the best center courts."
The 16th seeded Hewitt will begin his US Open against unseeded
Bosnian-born American Amer Delic. These days, Hewitt does not look
beyond the opening round.
"I'm just sort of looking to try and get through this first
round against Delic," he said. "He's an attacking player with a big
serve, got a big game. He's a dangerous opponent. So it's a matter
of trying to weather the storm.
"I'm trying to put myself in the right frame of mind to move
forward."
(China Daily via Agencies August 28, 2007)