By Louise Belcourt
In the lead up to the Australian Open the Aussie men are announcing an assault on Melbourne Park. Today both Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic had emphatic tournament victories over much higher ranked opponents. It leaves the local fans enthralled and opponents wary of these unseeded players in the lead up to the first grand slam of the year.
The young and the not so young of Australian tennis will attempt to improve on their 2012 results, where both Hewitt and Tomic battled to the fourth round at the Australian Open. They both lost to one of the ATP’s Fab Four, with Hewitt suffering a four-set loss to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, while young Tomic was outclassed by Roger Federer.
Lleyton Hewitt, now 31 years old, capped off a perfect Australian Open preparation by winning the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne today. Playing like a two-time grand-slam champion, he easily defeated world number 7, Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1 6-4. Hewitt, at 5’11”, dominated the match with aggressive groundstrokes especially his inside out forehand, catching his 6’6″ opponent flat-footed.
Hewitt belied his current world ranking of 82 to defeat some of the world’s best players to take the title, including Canadian Milos Raonic, ranked #15, and Czech Thomas Berdych, #6, before demoralising his close friend Argentinian Del Potro.
An injury free and motivated Hewitt will aim to knock off another higher ranked opponent on Monday, when he takes on world number 8 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the first round of the Australian Open. If he gets through this match, then in all possibility he could make it to the quarter finals with a potential matchup with world number 5, David Ferrer of Spain.
The former ATP world number 1, joins only four other men (Federer, Djokovic, Murray and Del Potro) going to Melbourne that have won a grand slam. Entering the Australian Open for a record breaking 17th time in succession, Hewitt will look to his experience and tenacity to keep the local crowd cheering well into the second week of the championship.
Not to be outdone by his older countryman, 20 year old Bernard Tomic sealed a perfect summer of tennis in 2013 by winning the Sydney International today. Ranked 64 in the world, Tomic defeated world number 36 Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-3 6-7(2) 6-3. Tomic’s calmness, maturity and improved fitness were apparent in his first ever ATP tour victory. Along the way Tomic defeated higher ranked opponents including Andreas Seppi, ranked 23, the defending champion Jarkko Nieminen, #44, and Florian Mayer, #28.
Sydney continued the run Tomic started at the Hopman Cup in Perth last week. Tomic stunned the tennis world and the world number 1 with a 6-4 6-2 win over Novak Djokovic. He also claimed the scalps of German Tommy Haas, ranked 21, and Andreas Seppi, #23.
The wins this year have come in stark contrast to Tomic’s poor performance in 2012, where he dropped out of the world’s top 50. The low point coming with a lacklustre performance against a retiring Andy Roddick in the second round of the US Open. Together with another sub-par performance in the Davis Cup, resulting in Tomic being banned by Australia’s Davis Cup captain the 2-time US open champ, Patrick Rafter. Still not back on speaking terms with Rafter the young Aussie has instead let his tennis do the talking in 2013.
Will this year finally be the year the young Tomic was destined to have? At a press conference at the start of the year audible laughter was heard when Tomic announced that he will be a top 10 player by the end of this year. There is no laughter now. If Tomic can keep his composure and self belief when he’s not playing in front of adoring fans then he could do this statement justice.
In the meantime, Tomic is headed for an exciting 3rd round match with Roger Federer at the Australian Open. Can the youngest player in worlds top 100 take out the 31 year old who has made it to the quarter finals of a grand slam for an unbeaten 34 consecutive times?
Stay tuned for all the heated up action of the Australian open commencing Monday 14 January.
Tomic and Hewitt on FIRE right now
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2013 at 9:00 am
Saw Tomic vs. Seppi in Sydney, and Tomic is a different player now. He has turned it all around. He is playing brilliant tennis. Very serious, he’s hitting the ball harder, excellent maturity, mixing it up, he looks like a future #1 as far as I’m concerned. With Hewitt, onloy a fool would dare to count him out. Hewitt is one of the great champions of tennis and like Sampras showed at his final US Open, you can never eliminate the chances of the great champions like Hewitt whose belief is all that matters, not the silly pundits or experts. If Hewitt believes he can win this tournament, that is all that matters. And by the looks of his results at Kooyong, he couldn’t be heading into this major with any better momentum. Tipsarevic will be a challenge though. Looking forward to seeing Tomic and Hewitt do their thing – and hearing plenty of those “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” chants which have been noticeably absent in recent years.
Dan markowitz · January 12, 2013 at 11:52 am
Great report; didn’t know Tomic and Rafter were so much on the outs. I’m intrigued by both Tomic and Hewitt and I’m taking a Missouri attitude until I see them perform in Aussie Open. Realistically, if Hewitt reaches semis it’s miraculous. He has a 1 per cent chance of winning event. How many 5 set matches can a guy like Hewitt ground out and still take on the big boys at the business end? Tomic’s renaissance is more intriguing and maybe this year one of the 4 young guns can breakthrough to a slam finals.
Mitch · January 12, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Tipsarevic will be a very tough out for Hewitt. Might be like the Hewitt-Ferrer match from the US Open, where Hewitt hung tight for a few sets before Ferrer wore him down and pulled away.
Dan Markowitz · January 12, 2013 at 1:26 pm
The problem with Tomic, and it’s a big problem in today’s game, is he moves funny and rather slowly. Kind of moves like a turtle, better side to side, but not so good moving up. I doubt a guy like this will ever get to No. 1. You can’t teach height nor speed.
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Tomic is going to have a big year this year, count on it. Hewitt showed he can hang with the best as he showed vs. Djokovic at OLY, he was ahead in that match and could have won it. DO not count out Hewitt. He is still dangerous.
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Mitch, Hewitt leads the head to head vs. Tips 3-1. Hewitt knows how to handle Tips evidently.
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Dan, Tomic’s movement looks very good to me, very fluid and smooth. Laugh if you wish but I’m giving the new and improved Tomic a very good shot to knock off Federer. I think he’s ready. He’s played Roger close before, he can do it now.
Mitch · January 12, 2013 at 5:26 pm
Hewitt and Tipsarevic haven’t played in years. The H2H is meaningless because they’re both different players now.
Steve · January 12, 2013 at 6:32 pm
Roche also laid in to him for tanking. His game has improved for sure though I’m not a fan of his style it is effective.
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2013 at 7:08 pm
True Tips is better now but Hewitt is fighting for his career, this could be his last appearance in the Aussie Open.
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2013 at 7:12 pm
Tomic has had a perpetual problem with tanking it seems, I remember when he was around 14 he was at the US Open, he was very tall and skinny but remarkably smooth, eye catchingly talented, with the headband on, many of the Aussie veterans were around watching him, Woodbridge, Sandon Stolle, Cahill, etc. One of them told me Tomic was blocked from playing one of the recent junior slams because of a poor effort (tank) he did in a previous junior slam. Like Rios, Tomic sometimes just would tank and not try. He still does tank, well at least last year he did (most obvious against Roddick in NYC). But when he’s on his A game and is fired up to play, Tomic could threaten any player. Like Rios.
loreley · January 13, 2013 at 3:03 am
Via Twitter
Bernard Tomic, on his potential meeting with Roger Federer in the third round, started thusly: “If he gets that far…”
Federer on Tomic (earlier today): “He will be making a mistake about thinking about me in the third round because he also has to get there.”
I kinda like Tomic. 😉
Dan Markowitz · January 13, 2013 at 6:31 am
Fed will strait-set the impertinent young Aussie.
Scoop Malinowski · January 13, 2013 at 7:35 am
Loreley, thanks for sharing those revealing quotes. That is exactly the mindset Tomic must have, confident with a hint of arrogance, he is not giving Fed too much respect, as so many opponents do. I really believe this new and improved, modified and matured version of Tomic will defeat Federer this week. He is coming into his own now, he has a chip on his shoulder too with the Davis Cup dispute with Rafter and Rochey, and when the media openly laughed at him for declaring he was ready to make the top 10 this year. Tomic has not lost a match this year, has won his first title, this is a force to be reckoned with.
Steve · January 13, 2013 at 8:50 am
I see Fed & Tomic have become fast friends. I’d like to see Fed school the youngster. Hopefully they will both make the 3rd round. I can see Brands taking Tomic out if they should meet.
I know Fed has reached 34 consecutive slam Quarterfinals but you never know what can happen in sports.
Harold · January 13, 2013 at 10:11 pm
They can stop calling Dimitrov “Baby Fed’ and start calling him “Bootleg Fed’, because he is a phony challenger to the top level of tennis…Goes out in straights to Bennetau
Scoop Malinowski · January 14, 2013 at 6:58 am
Benneteau is red hot right now he had MPs vs. Anderson in the SF, Baby Fed just ran into a hot player. Maybe he’s also psychologically bothered by the presence of Serena on the grounds ) Best way to evade her wrath is to lose first round.
Harold · January 14, 2013 at 9:50 am
Writers and bloggers have to stop dreaming up the next wunderkid on results in 250’s….Doing well in a 250 then not showing up in a Major, does not make that player anything more than a player thats going to be a 20 to 50th ranked player at best…
Win some 250’s, then get one of 32 freaking seeds and win a few rounds in a Major, then youre worthy of being labeled an up and comer…
Dont know why Dimitrov would be scared of Serena Williams? Did they date? Internet now says hes dating Sharapova…funny how they are all under the Nike banner..Date models or actresses kid…
Steve · January 14, 2013 at 10:08 am
“Best way to evade her wrath is to lose first round.”
HAHAHAHA
Scoop Malinowski · January 14, 2013 at 11:00 am
Rumor has it Serena aggressively pursued Dimitrov who fled out of the French training center where Serena was after him and went to Sweden and hooked up with a new coach and also hooked up with Sharapova.