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RISE OF A GIANT KILLER
by Leo Schlink
Herald Sun Weekend Cover Picture of Lleyton putting his hand to his forehead and the
title:
Smash 'n' Grab
Tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt is high on success
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Cover Story (two page spread with pictures of Lleyton signing autographs, celebrating his
win, Newk
and Pat smiling and applauding, Mum & Dad cheering)
Rise of a GIANT-KILLER
Teenage tennis star Lleyton Hewitt has transformed from promising youngster to national
hero in just
two years, writes Leo Schlink
Lleyton Hewitt has three passions in life: the Adelaide Crows, golf and winning, though
not necessarily
in that order.
Adelaide-based Hewitt is hardly unique in the Festival State for his devotion to the
Crows. And his
penchant for claiming side bets against his father, Glynn, on the golf course is rarely a
source of fame
either.
But Hewitt's insistence on over-achievement on the international tennis circuit already
had become the
source of sporting lore.
At 18 he has taken an express route to the upper echelons of the sport, where fortunes and
profile
are both hard won and easily lost.
Hewitt, who is ranked 31st in the world, has not only already won two tournaments, but has
become
the Australian Davis Cup spearhead in the absence of Pat Rafter and Mark Philipoussis.
He has also posted victories over world No. 2 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, No. 1 Andre Agassi
(though
No. 142 at the time), Rafter, Philipoussis, Todd Martin and Cedric Pioline - all bona fide
members of
the tennis elite - to scuttle emphatically fears he might be a flash in the pan.
In January, Hewitt sentenced Pat Rafter to five days of soul-searching after springing a
mammoth
first-round upset in the Sydney International at White City. Hewitt brought the two-time
US Open
champion to his knees when he carved out a comprehensive victory, startling Rafter, who
predicts a
glowing future for the 18-year-old.
"He played very well and used the conditions perfectly," Rafter said at the
time. "I'm not dirty at
losing, but deep down I feel I should be out there winning these matches."
John McEnroe, the sport's defining enfant terrible, knows his cattle.
"If Lleyton Hewitt is not in the top 10 by the end of next year, I'll be very
surprised." The former
world No. 1 said at the US Open.
"He reminds me a bit of myself and he's got the game to back it up."
The provocative Russian Kafelnikov, who vowed to give Hewitt a tennis lesson during the
Davis Cup
semi-final against Australia at Brisbane's ANZ stadium, learned that to niggle Hewitt was
to buy into
an argument he could not win.
Hewitt duly belted the Australian Open champion in straight sets last Sunday to fire
Australia into the
December 3-5 final against France in Paris (Nice), where Hewitt doubtlessly will be
summoned to
perform more miracles.
Australian captain John Newcombe has spent enough time with Hewitt to understand the
reed-thin
South Australian possesses all the qualities of a champion.
Time, experience and maturity will enhance nature's generous package.
"He's just a fantastic competitor," Newcombe says.
"He's been on Davis Cup teams since he was 15 watching guys like Pat Rafter and
listening and
observing.
"He's taken it all in and he's using what he's learned out there on the court."
And it is out on the court that Hewitt has rapidly become the master of his own domain -
and master,
too, of anybody who should dare to cross his path. Hewitt has always been a combative
soul.
As a junior he was renowned - and rebuked - for his feisty personality.
Nothing has changed, not even in the cut-throat world of professional tennis, where the
meek and
mild are quickly exposed and dispatched.
For Hewitt, life on the professional tour is the opportunity to live out a fantasy.
"I look at my mates going to school and uni and doing other things and I'm sitting
down next to Pat
Rafter and watching him get ready to go out and play a big match," Hewitt says.
"When I first went on the tour, I wasn't sure what to expect or how I would go.
"Now I feel really comfortable, travelling with 'Killer' (his coach, Darren Cahill)
and seeing all the
boys.
"Having the chance to play guys like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi is something that
not a lot of
people get to do. To be out there and doing that is amazing.
"I'm used to it now, but it's kind of funny thinking back to the start of 1998 when I
was ranked 700 in
the world and got into the Adelaide tournament, beat Agassi, then won the tournament.
"The whole of last year and this year, until I hurt myself (a severely sprained
ankle) has been great. I
couldn't ask for anything more."
Hewitt, who is dedicated to the business of fulfilling a childhood ambition of reaching
the world's top
10 and winning Grand Slam singles titles, can be found occupying the few spare hours he
has on
Adelaide's finest sandbelt golf courses.
H drives a snazzy BMW and lives at his parents' West Lakes home with his 16-year-old
sister,
Jaslyn, who has emerged from her brother's shadow as a leading tennis junior.
Hewitt has neither the time nor the opportunity to accommodate a girlfriend - yet - but
his popularity
continues to soar.
His presence at a post-match party following the Davis Cup semi-final in Brisbane last
weekend was
evidence of the following he has quickly built. Hewitt's entry into a sports bar-nightclub
was marked
with a deafening roar and he soon found himself hoisted high above the heaving throng of
revellers,
sho bounced the jockey-sized teenager on their hands in David Cup's equivalent of the
mosh-pit.
Hewitt loved it.
"We're going to bring back the Cup this year." He yelled, continuously pumping
an upright finger
towards the ceiling. "This is the best day of my life."
There is no doubt the ponytailed blond is a favourite with scores of females - young and
old.
But from Hewitt's point of view, tennis is his obsession. While he enjoys his golf,
football, family and
movies, the fanatically organised Hewitt has not found time for the pursuits of a romantic
man.
Asked at Wimbledon in July how he felt about being the newest tennis sex symbol - by no
higher
authority than the august broadsheet, The Times - Hewitt merely laughed off the tag.
"Yeah, that's great, but I haven't got the time at the moment and I haven't thought
about it too much,
to be honest," he says.
"If other people want to think that, then that's fine."
Hewitt idolises mercurial Adelaide Crows forward Darren Jarman and can often be found at
Davis
Cup practice kicking with a Jarman-like accuracy.
If not for tennis, he almost certainly would have continued the family's relationship with
football.
Glynn, a former Richmond footballer, and his mother, Sherilyn, a state netballer, now
travel with their
children to tournaments all over the world.
In many ways the Hewitts are the model tennis family.
And should Lleyton, pugnacious and proud, bear out the predictions of the sport's wise
men, expect
Tennis Australia to use him as the marketing successor to Rafter in the hope of producing
the next
Australian champion.
Around his profile are pictures of the some of the big guns he has beaten (Agassi, Flip,
Yevgeny and
one of Lleyton and Pat together)
Lleyton Hewitt
Age: 16
Lives: Adelaide
Career Titles: Two - Adelaide '98, Delray Beach '99
Career Prizemoney: $US420,820
Singles Ranking: 31
David Cup Record: 4-0
Wins Against To 10 Players: Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Andre Agassi, Jonas Bjorkman,
Todd
Martin, Mark Philipoussis
Honours: Youngest qualifier in the history of the Australian Open (15 years 11 months).
Third-youngest winner of a singles title in history.
END
thanks to Peta for all the typing
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