Australian Open: Last hurrah ‘a tad strange’ for Australia’s Hewitt

Veteran will be playing his 20th and last Grand Slam, starting Monday

MELBOURNE:

Lleyton Hewitt said on Saturday it would be tough to deal with his emotions at the last tournament of his career as he looks to go out on a high at the Australian Open.

The former world number one and two-time Grand Slam-winner called it “a tad strange” to contemplate his 20th and last home Grand Slam, where he reached the final in 2005.

Hewitt, 34, will end one of Australia’s great tennis careers after the Australian Open, where he will play compatriot James Duckworth in the first round.





“To tell you the truth, I don’t know how it feels,” he told reporters in Melbourne, when asked what it was like to be one defeat from the end of his career. “A tad strange feeling, but I’m trying to soak it up as much as possible. I guess it’s different in the fact that if you do go out then, yes, it is the end.”

Hewitt’s draw against Duckworth, 23, is a twist of fate as he has only played one Australian before in his 20 straight appearances at the Australian Open.

Duckworth is now one of Hewitt’s protégés in Australia’s Davis Cup squad, of which the veteran player is now captain.





Djokovic deserves a little star, says Federer

Roger Federer baulked at suggestions that Novak Djokovic had climbed above his fellow ‘Big Four’ players on Saturday — but he admitted the Serb “deserves a little star” by his name.

The ‘Big Four’ of Federer, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray has long dominated men’s tennis, and has been joined by Stan Wawrinka, who won his second Grand Slam title last year.

But the concept of an elite group has been called into question by the exploits of Djokovic, who fell only one win short of a calendar-year Grand Slam last year.

“I still think the same guys are playing very well,” added the Swiss. “But, of course, Novak deserves like a little star next to his name right now because he’s been doing extremely well.”

Djokovic is a puzzle Federer, 34, will have to solve if he is to add to his record 17 Grand Slam titles as retirement looms ever closer.

The third seed’s first-round match at Melbourne Park, where he is a four-time winner, is against Georgia’s Nicoloz Basilashvili — with Djokovic potentially lurking in the semis.







Serena ‘130%’ fit, rules out surgery

World number one Serena Williams ruled out surgery to fix a persistent knee problem Saturday as she declared herself “130% fit” for the Australian Open.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion, gunning for a seventh title at Melbourne Park, retired due to soreness in her left knee during a singles match on January 6 at Hopman in Perth.

It was the 34-year-old’s comeback after some three months away from tennis as she battled knee issues which sparked fears that nearly 20 years on tour was finally taking its toll.

“I don’t have any inflammation anymore,” she said. “I don’t think I would need surgery at all. I’m at 120, 130% right
now.”

Serena, who beat long-time rival Maria Sharapova in last year’s final, has a testing start against Italian Camila Giorgi, the highest ranked non-seeded player in the women’s draw.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2016.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.