Lleyton Hewitt – so wrongly maligned
At least 'The Fanatics' love him. Well, they know how much heart he has.
It never ceases to amaze (and disappoint) me just how much Australians dislike their own Lleyton Hewitt. Yet anyone who has followed his progress into the quarter finals of the current Wimbledon tournament would have to agree he is playing impeccable tennis and, not only that, he is clearly handling himself as a great ambassador for this country.
Last night’s win from the almost impossible position of being two sets down and seemingly stricken with a leg injury was trademark Hewitt. He never gives in, he never says die and he often defies the odds to win when he shouldn’t.
I don’t care that he’s thrown the odd tantrum on court in the past. So what? It’s nothing compared to the likes of McEnroe, and Hewitt only ever gets angry with one person … himself.
This guy has done heaps for Australian Tennis and has been a remarkable performer in Davis Cup matches too. He’s already won Wimbledon before (2002) and a US Open (2001).
Quite simply, Llyeton Hewitt is the best Australian Tennis player since John Newcombe, and that covers a period of more than 35 years!
He’s playing Roddick tonight and I just hope he can win. Unlike most of you, it seems.
Contact: ray@grevilleagardens.com
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i can never understand this.. The guys one of my favorite players…
I can’t pin it down, but he just hasn’t managed to endear himself to people perhaps because he seems rather ungracious.
No one doubts his ability, but the best doesn’t always mean being most popular.
Couldn’t care a less about what he is like personally. I think if we got to know most sports people we wouldn’t like them. Their arrogance and drive is precisely what makes them good at what they do.
Go Hewitt!
Yeah, I don’t know precisely what it is but he shits me. I hope he wins though.
I don’t have strong feelings for him one way or the other, but I think it was his spate of tanties at officials and linespeople that put people offside.
That episode about whether he made a racial comment about a black linesman, the intimidation of linespeople at the Australian Open one year (03-04?), blaiming Aust Open losses on the playing surface…
Racism and bagging the umpire — can’t much get more Autralian than that.
Well he hasn’t been perfect but it’s not like he’s really crossed the line at any stage. As for the playing surface at the Australian Open, he is dead set right about that. The court surface is deliberately slowed down so that the organisers make sure they attract the widest possible field. It doesn’t suit Hewitt who relies on beating his opponents with speed but it suits the big servers and that’s what has cost him the title, a title he deserves.
As long as it’s Autralians you’re putting s – - t on, pevva, and not Australians, that’s OK.
Maybe he meant Austrians?
Bloody typos.
I of course meant “people who are friends with Crows players”
Oh yeah, that’s something we can’t forgive him for. Well it’s two things: (1) Supporting Adelaide Crows (2) Being a South Australian.
Ray,
Perhaps you wouldl like him more if he supported Collingwood?
JB
P.S Go Crows.
He used to be a bit of a pain, but you have to admire his tenacity. He never gives up. Good on him, and I hope he wins tonight.
Agree with Rox. Can’t stand the little shite but do admire his fighting spirit. To be fair I haven’t seen him play for some time and I will never watch him play, even if he plays in the final.
To put this all in context I admire tennis players who are/were able to control themselves, the players others touted as robotic. Imagine the inner strength to destroy players, come back from the death and win “gracefully” without histrionics and moronic behaviour. That’s class.
I do like him, JB, despite the fact he’s a Crows supporter.
Easier said than done, Baldrick. I wouldn’t class Hewitt’s behaviour as moronic or boofish. As for robots, well Pete ‘weirdo’ Sampras comes to mind. So does Ivan ‘the terrible’ Lendl.
I hate that screaming from the women players everytime they hit the ball. That is far more annoying that anything Hewitt has done.
Maria ‘Shout’apova went out in first round so that’s something at least. Although I like to look at her.
Remember the robot that was Bjorn Borg. Admired him to the max for his self control. Never stopped him thrashing everyone. My memory of Pat Rafter was that he was more than competitive without being a prat.
Oh yeah, there are gentlemen & introverts in all sports. Rafter was a gentleman, Borg was just … well he was just so quiet & shy that he wouldn’t say boo.
But realistically you can’t expect them all to be the same. It does require a fair bit of testostrene & aggression to succeed beyond your natural capabilities and I’d suggest Hewitt has used that in his case. Overall I think he’s matured. Don’t forget he burst onto the scene as a little 16 year old and he’s always had to fight above his weight.
Any other country would embrace Hewitt, but us Aussies like our tennis players to be like Pat Rafter, all matey and bland. People forget that Hewitt has been in the spotlight since he was 16 and the media always jumped on him for any little transgression which was blown out of proportion. Saying c’mon as far as I’m concerned is not the end of the world. Off court you never hear a word about him, no scandals or drunken nights unlike many other Aussie sportsmen. Everyone that knows him personally say he’s a great guy and don’t have a bad word to say about him. I hope he wins tonight, but it will be tough, regardless of the outcome, I admire him and appreciate his contribution to Australian tennis.
He’s great, if you can look beyond the racist comments, spastic comments, stupid “c’mon” at volume 13, idiotic celebrations and the fact he acts like a 13 year old brat in general.
And then there are the fans in yellow with their Aussie Aussie Aussie shite
CMORRRRRRRN Roddick, please win.
Sorry BLL, I’m with Sarah on this. Well said, I think he’s not liked because he’s someone who puts so much into his game that he comes over as a bit obnoxious.
The other stuff BLL mentions, well most of that was a long time ago, except for the ‘Come ons’, but I don’t mind those, he’s just pumping himself up.
Have a look at him – he’s not a ‘natural’ like Borg or Rafter, he’s a battler, in tennis terms. I thought Aussies supported “battlers”?
“Battler”?
Battlers don’t commercialise their lives by flogging off their milestones to vacuumous chick mags.
He’s a bogan who can play tennis.
Agassi and Federa. Class acts.
I mean he’s a battler in terms of tennis natural ability. Of course he’s not a commercial battler, he’s been successful – because he’s a battler.
Perhaps ‘battler’ doesn’t get across what I’m saying. How about ‘fighter’? Hewitt has always had to fight because he’s outclassed in tennis ability. But it’s his fight (or battling) that lifts him to match it with the best.
Btw, Agassi was only a ‘class act’ in his later career. He was the original punk & brat. A real impertinent little so and so, until he grew up. Much worse than Hewitt.
So there is hope for Hewitt. He is destined to grow up one day like Agassi did. Feel better for that. When that day comes, I’ll start to watch him.
Watch him now then. He’s not displaying anything I can see that’s objectionable. What’s he gotta do, shave his head like Agassi?
I don’t think aggasi had any other hair options at the end of his career. Little Layton hasn’t grown up.
Rafter? now that guy had a great game and was humble.
Nobody will ever outclass Arther Ashe.
oh God – ArthUr.
Well, ‘Little Lleyton’ was fantastic last night/this morning against Roddick. It could have gone either way. He handled himself pretty well too although I think I heard him scream “F*CK” at one stage (or two).
Very Australian of him. My rating of him has gone up.