Woody's word: No setback for Lleyton
Woody's word: No setback for Lleyton
Tuesday, 21 January, 2003
Lleyton Hewitt's surprise loss at the Australian Open certainly wasn't
a setback for the world No.1, it was merely a minor hiccup in what should
be another outstanding year.
You only have to look at some of the post-match statistics. El Aynaoui
slammed down 33 aces, enjoyed a 70 per cent first-service percentage and
hit two-dozen outright forehand winners.
With that in mind, it wasn't a shocking defeat for Hewitt. He correctly
identified after the match that he lost to the better player on the day
and never once uttered the words "I played badly".
That's not bad, for someone who sits atop the tennis ladder at 21 years
of age and who was no doubt inundated with questions about how he could
lose to a player ranked No.22.
Some of the strengths that have propelled Lleyton to the No.1 position,
include his ability to chase down a ton of balls and return anyone's
serve, including Sampras, Rafter, Rusedski and Roddick.
El Aynaoui utilized the two weapons that are the basis of his game - the
big serve and the huge forehand that can be directed to either corner of
the court.
Try as he did in taking up the initiative to El Aynaoui, he was playing a
guy that was able to simply dictate terms and enjoy the comfort that
comes with being inside the so-called "zone".
Is this a setback for Lleyton's year? Absolutely not.
He feels he can come back, bigger, stronger and better in 12 months' time
. For now, his focus is on helping Australia through the Davis Cup tie
against Great Britain in a fortnight's time and realising that this was
only one of the four Slams for the year.
His year can be still brilliant by contending for the other three.
The French Open is the next Slam and he has the game to win at Roland
Garros. And of course, we all know the damage he can do at Wimbledon and
the US Open, having already won those titles.
Let's remember that this time last year, Lleyton was recovering from
Chicken Pox and was a first-round loser at the Australian Open. Yet he
powered through the rest of the year, finished with a burst and ended the
year as the No.1 ranked player for the second straight year.
As we know, he is taking a much stronger fitness base into this year, so
it would be totally foolish to dismiss his prospects for the year based
on the defeat at the hands of a player who was playing the best match of
his career.
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