Lleyton Hewitt

[plumb]

Lleyton Hewitt is one of my favorite tennis players. He really deserved to win the US Open! Plus he's cute.

I think we can count on him winning a couple more Grand Slams in the coming years...

[Zen]

plumb, you're absolutely right. He's pretty consistent and it's about time he shone.

Open and close
Lleyton Hewitt has prepared his whole life for this Grand Slam moment
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[fudgie]

I agree. I think we're going to see a Hewitt-Roddick rivalry in the future too. They're both really good!

[reykjavik]

Yeah he might be good but he is SO annoying and he doesn't know when to shut up. I especiallly hate the fist pump he does when he scores. He played the Davis Cup against Spain earlier this year I think and the people booed him bec. he was so obnoxious. Then he came up against this guy in the US Open that was obviously sick and he just kept rubbing it in. The point is, if you're going to be a sportsman/woman, you have to act like a sport.

[plumb]

Hehe. That's true. Lleyton does have to work on his PR skills. A lot of people seem to see him as this arrogant, stuck-up guy... Unfortunately, some things that he's done in recent tennis tournaments only serve to reinforce this particular image. There was even one incident when he was accused of being prejudiced, I think... He's still pretty young, though. Maybe he'll learn. I'd hate to see his talent overshadowed by a bad attitude...

[helga]

this guy is great tennis player. kaya lang he's definitely bratty. i don't like the comment he made about james blake during the US Open. eniways, here's an article i saw in one of the hewitt sites i visited. very insightful...

Losing a hero, gaining a brat

Chalk and cheese: Pat Rafter enjoys a good rapport with crowds all over the world, whereas Lleyton Hewitt can alienate even Australian fans. Our Pat, the patron saint of good blokes, is easy to love, but now it looks like it's all over. Richard Hinds asks if we can fall for Lleyton on the rebound.

As Pat Rafter trudged from the court after losing to Pete Sampras at the USOpen, you could not help but think of that old wedding day line: Congratulations, Australia. You haven't lost a hero, you've gained a brat.

And not just any old brat. With his newfound international infamy, we can confidently proclaim that we have on our hands, for the first time, a bona fide superbrat.

No introductions are needed. Lleyton Hewitt has been part of the furniture for a few years now, although, until this week, more in the role of attention-seeking little brother than family stalwart.

The International Tennis Federation is unable to send players to their rooms. Otherwise Hewitt would have spent a lot of time lying on his bed after pumping his fists and uttering obscenities at opponents, calling his hometown crowd "stupid" and referring to officials at the French Open as "spastic". (We'll give him the benefit of the doubt about his latest, allegedly racist outburst in New York.)

Hewitt has also done the family proud. He won tournaments at an age when most kids are trying to find a dog to eat their homework. He did things at Davis Cup ties that made his hero, Rocky, look like a shirker. He left the Road Runner eating his dust from here to Boca Raton.

But because of Hewitt's antics, and because we had Saint Pat - patron saint of blokes - Hewitt at his best, and at his worst, had been merely a sideshow. Now, in Australian tennis, he is very much the main event.

With Rafter drifting off to a place where a man can grow stubble and wear ridiculous shorts without making women faint, a nation must turn its lonely eyes to Lleyton.

If you are one of those who finds that prospect slightly disturbing, the ATP rankings provide little consolation. Mark Philippoussis (ranked 37) will begin his rehabilitation from a knee injury soon with rumours rife he will never be the same player again. Beneath him are veteran Wayne Arthurs (58), court jester Andrew Illie (85) and a yawning chasm to another old-timer, Jason Stoltenberg (146).

So now, and for some time to come, the 20-year-old Hewitt is likely to be Australia's sole representative in the final stages at the slams, the mainstay of its Davis Cup team and the poster boy for the game in this country - even if it is a wanted poster.

It is impossible to imagine Hewitt's newfound status will change his approach to the game, the media and anyone he and his minders believe stands in his way. It is impossible to imagine a set of thumbscrews doing that.

Shane Warne has enemies in the media and amongst the cricket cognoscenti, but is adored in the outer. Greg Norman can be prickly up close, but is beloved despite some unfortunate accidents. For a nation used to feting untouchables such as Rafter, Cathy Freeman, John Eales and Steve Waugh, Hewitt is a unique figure.

In some ways, the reaction to the way he plays the game - and what he does between points - says as much about the fans as it does about him. Moses could not divide salt water like Hewitt divides opinions. There are already two distinct camps.

In one corner, you will find the patriots and the apologists. Hewitt could decapitate the ball boys, but so long as he carried an Australian passport he would have their support. In the opposite corner are those who cringe at his antics and tutt-tutt at his misdemeanours. Having attracted their disapproval, Hewitt must endure their constant censure.

His detractors will be ever vigilant. In this attitude, there is a trace of hypocrisy. Like those who watched John McEnroe in order to abhor him, there are plenty who derive naughty pleasure by observing Hewitt. However, in the past few months, you suspect the ranks of the unbelievers have swelled.

And, standing defiantly in the middle, is Hewitt and his entourage, who clearly don't care what the world thinks. In their minds success does not merely justify the means, it places Hewitt beyond reproach.

That attitude might have washed in the past, but with Rafter gone, public expectations will grow. It will not be as easy to blame the media, or, as his management has done in the past, ignore the local press and hawk Hewitt abroad, where his contracts are worth more. Especially now his international reputation has been tarnished.

Hewitt assumes Rafter's mantle as a player of rare talent and heart, but he is a controversial and somewhat isolated figure. An international star admired by some in his own country but disliked by others. Rafter had a love affair with the Australian public. Hewitt's reign will start as a marriage of convenience.

[munik]

In spite of the fact that he took Andre's #2 spot in the Champion's Race, I still like him. I like the way he chases every point, para bang every point is match point. This guy is gonna win a lot more Slams for sure.

[Cobkin]

I hate his guts, but I admire his tenacity.

Lleyton Hewitt: Year-end Number One, Champions Race 2001

[OliverWood21]

I dont know why pero i really feel irritated whenever i see him in court.. Sorry pero hindi ko sya trip. Lalo na when he beats some top players.. Parang ang yabang nya. I really don't like him...SORRY.

[Zen]

John McEnroe's a lot worse.

Off the courts, Lleyton's actually a well-liked guy. The fist-pumping and "Come on!" yelling are really just a part of his demeanor on court, probably even his game strategy since there are some guys who become unnerved with that kind of behavior.

[mravel22]

I dont know why pero i really feel irritated whenever i see him in court.. Sorry pero hindi ko sya trip. Lalo na when he beats some top players.. Parang ang yabang nya. I really don't like him...SORRY.

i couldn't agree more!

go james blake!

[OliverWood21]

No Offense, pero di ko talaga alam kung bakit kumukulo ang dugo ko sa kanya...
SOrry to the fans pero Parang ang yabang nya. And it seems like being the top player in the world was getting over him kaya parang lumalaki ang ulo nya. Again, no offense but he sure is not the Best Player in the wolrd right now even if he is number 1 in the rankings. He had just been very lucky in some important matches..

Peace 'ya all!!

[yo_mon]

i agree.
pax!

[mintymalone]

I used to dislike him. I felt that he was too cocky for his own good. But I now appreciate his game.

[darby]

Dun like him.

[meg_gurl]

i like him.

[Xiaoyu]

HATE HATE HATE.
He's my Schumi sa ATP tour.
Grrrrrr.

[sports_gal]

i love him!!!! well, i'm just going to correct you, ano. he's not arrogant. he actually lie low eh. dati, mas grabe pa *** emotions nya. he actually lessen his emotions now. (which is na-miss ko).. he just shows so much emotion and passion on court, which some people mistakenly thought he's agressive....... sobra lang syang passionate when it comes to the game and when he's playing.

ay, i like his style of play...parang si Andre eh. okay, ill stop muna for now and i'll gather all my thought about LOVE or Hate Hewitt and i'll post nalang later.

GOOOOOOO LLEYTON! hope u'll win ur 3rd major tourny in 2 years, GOOO LLEYTON!!

[mravel22]

i feckin' loathe him.