Hewitt banking on magic of experienced Roche

SYDNEY: Lleyton Hewitt is banking on experienced coach Tony Roche to find the missing edge to challenge the top players at this month's Australian Open in Melbourne.

The former world No 1, who has now slipped to 21 in the rankings, engaged Roche, the former mentor of Roger Federer and Ivan Lendl, last July in a bid to arrest his decline.

Hewitt reached the 2005 Australian Open final where he lost to Russian Marat Safin but has been bounced out in the second and third rounds at the last two attempts.

But the former Wimbledon and US Open champion sees 62-year-old Roche as the missing ingredient in his quest to return to the upper echelons of men's tennis.

"He works extremely hard and puts in a lot of long hours and I really enjoy working with him," Hewitt said at the Sydney International tournament yesterday.

"I feel like he gets the best out of me every time we step on the practice court, so it's a good thing."

The Australian believes having Roche in his corner can help him bridge the gap with Federer.

Hewitt, who begins his quest for a fifth Sydney title against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut today, has lost his last 11 matches against the world No 1 and trails the Swiss 13-7 in career meetings.

"I played him in Montreal and Cincinnati (last year) for two weeks in a row and I felt like I played a lot better in those two matches against him, especially in Cincinnati, but I'm sure Rochey has got a few things in the back of his mind," he said.

Hewitt said the quality of his work with Roche on the practice court is paying dividends.

"We're not just going out there to hit balls up the middle of the court," he said.

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga knocked Hewitt out in the quarterfinals of last week's Australian hardcourt championship in Adelaide, the tournament he first claimed eight years ago as a 16-year-old.

AFP

(China Daily 01/08/2008 page22)