The draw for the Davis Cup Tie between Australia and Thailand took place today at the picturesque Reef Aquarium in the city of Townsville, North Queensland.

Lleyton Hewitt today said that he would head to Townsville this weekend to commence preparations to lead the Australian Davis Cup team in their venture to return to the World Group.

Hewitt who injured his hip in his match against Mardy Fish in Indian Wells, further aggravated it playing the Sony Ericsson Masters event, affecting his movement resulting in an eventual loss to Jose Acasuso.

Hewitt visited a Sports and Medicine orthopedic surgeon for scans yesterday which showed that the injury could be a combination of a tear and tendonitis. The Surgeon has recommended rest and treatment for the hip to enable Hewitt the best possible chance to play next week.

Hewitt said “I am extremely determined to play for my country in Townsville and will be doing everything in my power to be as close to 100% physically by Friday. This Tie is important for the team, as a win would give us the opportunity to compete in a play-off to make it back in the World Group where I believe Australia belongs.”

In a time when many of the world’s best players choose to not risk their bodies and potential earnings by playing Davis Cup for their country, one can not help but feel strong admiration for Hewitt and his commitment to Australia and his team, especially in a non World Group Tie.

Recently at the Indian Wells Master's event, the Managing Editor of ATPtennis.com Paul MacPherson caught up with Lleyton Hewitt and took some videos of Lleyton asking him questions and his views on certain apsects on the Tour.

Please click on the videos below to enjoy these videos:

Hewitt tiebreak quiz

Hewitt’s toughest to beat


Hewitt’s diet


Hewitt racquet changes


Hewitt fans c’mon

 

Lleyton Hewitt will play Argentinian player Jose Acasuso in his opening match of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Hewitt, seeded 21 for the Masters event, will find tough opposition from the world ranked 45th player in trying to advance to the third round. Acasuso, who has been ranked as high as 20, has been in good form of late recently making the final of the ATP event in Buenos Aires losing to countryman David Nalbandian in three tight sets. Acasuso won his first round, defeating Santiago Ventura of Spain 6/2 6/4.

The match will most likely be played early Sunday morning Australian time. 

One hundred children from the Mega-city Special Olympics program took to the court today against some of the biggest and brightest stars at the Sony Ericsson Open, in Miami.

Lleyton Hewitt helped pass out t-shirts to the children in attendance and then gave the kids instruction on the fundamentals of tennis. Each child left with a smile on their face and the chance of a lifetime.

Mardy Fish of the USA, produced his best tennis for many years to down Lleyton Hewitt in a third set tiebreaker and advance to the quarter finals of the Pacific Life Open in California.

Fish, unseeded in the event and coming off a straight sets victory over World No 4 Nikolay Davydenko, started the match well breaking Hewitt in the 5th game of the first set to take a 4-2 lead. Hewitt broke back to level at 5 all but was then foot faulted on a second serve to hand back the break to Fish , who then served out the set 7-5.

Hewitt, the 24 seed, played an outstanding second set forcing many errors from Fish, and with an early break took the second set 6-3. Both players lifted the intensity of the match in the third, with neither given a break point chance, resulting in the set being decided in a tiebreaker. This was where Fish went for broke, serving big and teeing off on some forehands to take the breaker 7 points to 4.

Fish now plays world no 7 David Nalbanian in the quarterfinals, whilst Hewitt heads to Miami for the next Masters event confident of a return to form and looking to hopefully advance further in that tournament starting late next week. 

Lleyton Hewitt today had a straight sets victory, 7/5 6/1, over 13th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia to advance to the 4th round of the Pacific Life Open, being played at Indian Wells in California.

The match was evenly poised at 2 all in the first set before the first break point became available to Hewitt. He was unable to take advantage of it though and then played an ordinary service game to be broken by Youzhny and trail 2/4. From this moment on, Hewitt lifted a notch and broke back Youzhny straight away and then achieved another break at 5 all, before serving out the first set 7/5.

The second set was all Hewitt as he commenced with a break in the opening game of the second set, the first of three breaks for that set. On his own serve he lost only one point in the second set to comfortably enter the 4th round of the tournament.

After the match Hewitt said that he "pulled up fine and was happy with such a win over an inform player". Youhzny is currently experiencing his highest world ranking.

Hewitt now faces unseeded American Mardy Fish tomorrow, after Fish easily accounted for No 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko 6/3 6/2, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals of the Masters event. 

LLeyton Hewitt has been drawn to play the winner of Sam Querrey of the United States and Luis Horna of Peru in his first match at the Pacific Life Open Masters event being played in Indian Wells, California.

Querrey, who won the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas last week, is a tall big serving player, whilst Horna, a former junior World No 1, is a claycourt expert. Hewitt, who is seeded 24 for the event, will most likely play either Friday or Saturday Californian time.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione went close to causing a major upset in the doubles at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas. Hewitt and Guccione pushed the world's top doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan to a super tiebreaker before going down 6/3 3/6 10/7. Hewitt said " Gooch and I played well and at 7 all in the breaker with a little bit of luck, the match could have gone our way". Hewitt and Guccione may pair up again in the Masters event in Indian Wells which starts March 13.

Unseeded Julian Benneteau from France defeated defending champion Lleyton Hewitt 6/3 7/5 to advance to the quarter finals of the Tennis Channel Open. On a cool, windy Las Vegas day three of the top 8 seeds lost in the four second round singles matches played.

Hewitt and fellow Davis Cup team member Chris Guccione will play doubles tomorrow against world number 1 pair Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States. Whilst Australia's Peter Luczak will play Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in the second round.

LLeyton Hewitt had a strong win in his first round match in the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas defeating Marat Safin 6/2 6/1. Hewitt took a quick lead with a break at 3/1 to then again break in the last game to win the first set in just on 30 minutes.

On a cool night in Vegas, Hewitt once again achieved an early break in the second set, to comfortably win the match. "Its never easy playing Marat, we have had some great matches in the past. Whilst he may not have been at his best, I was happy with the way I finished the match out and I look forward to hopefully progressing much further in the tournament" Hewitt said.

Hewitt, who is the defending champion, now plays the winner of Julien Benneteau (France) and Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) in the next round to be played Wednesday, Las Vegas time.

(You can see Lleyton practising for the tournament on the video on this page, and in more in his gallery. Also read Lleyton's blog about his practise sessions with Andre Agassi) 

8th February 2008

Lleyton Hewitt started Australia’s 2008 Davis Cup campaign to regain a place in the World Group, in fine style with a straight sets victory today.

Hewitt playing the first match against Ti Chen, of Chinese Taipei, in the first round Asia Oceanic Group 1 Tie, won 6/4 6/0 6/3. Hewitt

2nd February 2008

Lleyton Hewitt today left Sydney for Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei for Davis Cup, first round of the Asia/Oceania Zone to be played February 8-10.

Lleyton is part of the Australian squad which includes Chris Guccione, Paul Hanley, Alan Jones and Joe Sirianni.