Re: 休伊特榮獲澳洲年度青年
New honour added to tennis triumphs
January 26 2003
By Larry Schwartz
Tennis star Lleyton Hewitt said yesterday the highlights of his career were
Davis Cup victories such as the defeat of Gustavo Kuerten on Brazilian clay.
It was in front of a crowd of 15,000, "booing and screaming, and very hostile"
in a quarter-final in 2001.
Speaking after being named Young Australian of the Year, the player, 21, who
that year became the youngest player to be ranked number one in the world,
said there had been "no worse feeling" than losing to Spaniard Juan Carlos
Ferrero in the previous Davis Cup final.
He said he was buoyed by public support, and inspired when playing for his
country. "The goosebumps just go through the whole body," he said, describing
the sensation of listening to the national anthem before play, "and that's why
I make myself available for every Davis Cup tie that I can play."
Girlfriend Kim Clijsters accompanied members of the Hewitt family to the
function in Melbourne's Princess Theatre, at which he received the award from
Prime Minister John Howard.
Speaking at a media conference, Hewitt said: "I think I've been able to be a
role model for a lot of young kids out there." He said his influence was proba
bly responsible for the many young tennis players running around in baggy shor
ts, shirts left untucked, and caps on backwards. "But that's me, I guess, out
there," he said, "and my personality comes on."
Asked if the award would help compensate for last week's fourth-round
Australian Open upset by the Moroccan veteran, Younes El Aynaoui, Hewitt said
he "got over the loss straight away". He said he had done everything possible
to prepare himself for the event, but had faced strong competition, and "you
can't do anything about that".
Hewitt was now looking ahead to the Davis Cup match against England. "This for
me is a great privilege," he said. "My close friend Pat Rafter won Australian
of the Year last year. I've seen what he's had to go through, and the way
that he handles everything that he does, and that's a great role model for me.
"
He said it was difficult to compare the Young Australian award with a tennis
victory. "It's got to do with inspiring young people and working extremely
hard and putting in the effort and trying to do good things for Australia," He
witt said. "And at the end of the day, it means as much as a lot of the
tournament victories."
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