The Lleyton Hewitt Appreciation Thread

[The Passenger]

interesting to hear all the people say how good his commentating was.

if i was asked without hearing whether he'd make a good commentator before hearing him i'd have thought "probably not".

as for the match. he had his chances and just butchered them really.

there was 9 games in which he had break points and failed to break. compare that to 3 with nalbandian. in those 9 games he had 19 break points. Nalbandian had 5 break points in his 3 games. that's a massive difference.

i really wish they'd show the amount of games they've missed break points in alongside break points won and BP% because that stat alone doesn't show the full story. example - player A is 1/4 but all 4 came in the same game and they eventually got the break. player B is also 1/4 but all 4 came in different games. so player B has actually missed break opportunities in 3 games.

 

[SJ]

interesting to hear all the people say how good his commentating was.

if i was asked without hearing whether he'd make a good commentator before hearing him i'd have thought "probably not".

as for the match. he had his chances and just butchered them really.

there was 9 games in which he had break points and failed to break. compare that to 3 with nalbandian. in those 9 games he had 19 break points. Nalbandian had 5 break points in his 3 games. that's a massive difference.

i really wish they'd show the amount of games they've missed break points in alongside break points won and BP% because that stat alone doesn't show the full story. example - player A is 1/4 but all 4 came in the same game and they eventually got the break. player B is also 1/4 but all 4 came in different games. so player B has actually missed break opportunities in 3 games.

Completely agree there, I have thought that for years. If it's 0-40 and you have break points and you have a swipe at the first one and miss but get the second, a 50% strike rate doesn't say much.

 

[The Passenger]

only way you can get it (that i can work out) is to open up the IBM PointStream from the Aus Open web site and go through each game. takes about 5 minutes to work out a match once you work out how to use the thing. but it's pretty good. but yeah, it should be a readily available stat.

 

[djrossie16]

I hope he stays so that Hewitt Tomic drag Australia out of the Davis Cup abyss.

 

[alex 17]

Has the time come for Hewitt to retire?
Another injury and it looks like he is a good chance to miss Wimbledon. Dont get me wrong I have been a Hewitt fan over the years. He is a true battler, never gives in, love watching him play but is his time up? I cant see him achieving much else.

 

[MacMum]

Yes I think it has.....just hope he realises it, and doesn't continue on just fading away in the rankings.....instead of going out remembered for being the champion he was....

He has nothing to prove to anyone.....time to rest up now champ, you deserve it...

He has done himself and us proud

 

[SJ]

Yes I think it has.....just hope he realises it, and doesn't continue on just fading away in the rankings.....instead of going out remembered for being the champion he was....

He has nothing to prove to anyone.....time to rest up now champ, you deserve it...

He has done himself and us proud

Agreed. If he doesn't get up for Wimbledon it might be it.

 

[pepsi]

Yes I think it has.....just hope he realises it, and doesn't continue on just fading away in the rankings.....instead of going out remembered for being the champion he was....

He has nothing to prove to anyone.....time to rest up now champ, you deserve it...

He has done himself and us proud

I concur on all points. He is our most capped Davis Cup player, a number 1 for 2 years, 2 grand slams, 2 Davis Cups and kept Australian Mens tennis alive for the last few years.

His body seems to be screaming at him to stop. Must be one of the hardest things to do as a professional sportsperson, to retire when your body is telling you to even though in your mind you want to continue.

 

[OzBomber]

As much as I love him, it's just about time to pull the pin. Get himself right for the Aus Open and go out in the best way he possibly can, in front of his home fans.

 

[Octavia]

love ya hewy. thanks for memories

 

[alex_is_on_fire]

As much as I love him, it's just about time to pull the pin. Get himself right for the Aus Open and go out in the best way he possibly can, in front of his home fans.

Yeah, I agree with this.

C'on Ley ley, get up for the Australian summer and have one last hoorar.

 

[Kaan]

The atmosphere at his farewell Aus Open would be crazy.

 

[hirdy_is_champ]

I really hope he can get to AO, I've never seen him live before and was hoping to this year but got Molik instead... Also the media did him a diservice by carrying on aboug him being a battler all the time, everyone got sick of it. The bloke is a champ, probably the athlete I most admire in terms of effort.

 

[crowsarethebest]

He's been on the tour for so long, his body has had just about enough I reckon. Add to that his style of play is so taxing on the body. It hasn't heped that he's rushed back from his injuries andhas let his body rest and recover... He's been awesome for Australia and I still think when fit Hewitt is in the top dozen grasscourters in the world, however on other surfaces he won't do much damage. I hope he comes back for 1 last hurrah for the Aussie Open, I'm sure he'll have 1 last shot there.

 

[McCrann]

His last will be Aussie Open 2013.

Why? He has previously expressed a desire to play for Olympic Gold at Wimbledon next year, once that is done and dusted, he'll swing through the rest of the year and retire after the Aussie Summer.

ie, if we have a home Davis Cup tie in early February - that could be the swansong, if not, it will be the Aussie Open. He's still got 18 months.

 

[pepsi]

Has withdrawn from the US Open. Hope he can somehow manage to get his body right and do something in 2012. I am sure that the London Olympics are keeping Lleyton going.

 

[matt_897]

He'll be struggling to get into the Olympics with the way things are going, even if he plays Davis Cup in Septemeber, he won't be playing tennis on the tour till 2012, going to be hard to get that ranking up.

All I'm going to say about it is that he is a multiple slam champion so he has every right to keep playing until he wants to stop however long that is. When he does retire, it will be a sad day, he was the player that I idolised while growing up and have fond memories of all the matches that he has played, there will never be another player like him.

 

[Ktrain]

Through to 3rd US Open via a trademark 5 set match...C'Mon!

 

[walshy93]

Quick article that focuses on Lleyton Hewitt. Check it out if you want!

 

[MacMum]

Huge well done to Lleyton...Stosar still going as well..

 

[PAFCsince1870]

Tomic doesn't have 1/100th of the heart that Hewitt has.

I think once Lleyton retires he will be revered as the champion that he is/was.

 

[MacMum]

Tomic will never achieve great heights....he has a pea heart.

Have just seen on HUN website, McEnroe has accused him of tanking, and not trying hard enough against Roddick...

Just noticed John???....he doesn't try hard enough in ANY game!

 

[pepsi]

Hewitt will be looked upon as a simply great Australian sports person once he retires. I actually think he is quite popular now, not just in Australia, but in other countries as well. His 31st 5-set win (sits 5th on that table behind Lendl, Nastase, Sampras and Becker and has lost 18 5-set matches).

When I was at Wimbledon during the Olympics this year I was walking around the grounds and heard a kid who would have been about 12 years old. He said to his parents that he wants to watch Lleyton Hewitt play instead of Djokovic (Lleyton was playing on Court 18, Djokovic on Centre Court). This kid was British.

To think he won his first title back in 1998 in Adelaide when he was only 16 and beat Agassi in that tournament and after all the injury lay-offs and operations he has had on his body. You can do nothing but admire and respect that he is still playing on tour, giving it his all in every match and certainly still playing a decent enough standard to compete.

If only courts were faster and there were some more grass court tournaments left in tennis...

 

[matt_897]

Surprised this thread didn't get bumped during the Olympics as well.

 

[hamohawk1]

you really have to admire this man. hey tomic, just follow this blokes training pattern and fighting style for a year, you might be surprised how good you too can be