Hewitt Fights to Turn the Tide

For two years the Australian Lleyton Hewitt was the world No1 and the living was easy, but recently life has turned into an almighty struggle. The defence of his Wimbledon title was dramatically cut short in the first round, and since then he has battled inner demons as his confidence and self-belief see-sawed from day to day and match to match.

On a New York morning of high heat but intense clarity, with the Manhattan skyline pencil sharp, Hewitt entered the Louis Armstrong stadium yesterday in red shorts and red shoes as if demanding to be noticed. It was in this city that he won the first of his two grand slam titles, rushing Pete Sampras to an ignominious defeat in the 2001 final. This summer, having dropped to No6 in the world, there has barely been a suggestion he might win this title again.

But Hewitt can never be underestimated, as Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee, having won the first set of their second-round match, was uncomfortably to discover in a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 defeat.

Lee first won attention for both himself and his country here three years ago when he reached the last 16, putting Korea on the tennis map. He had never played Hewitt before but yesterday, having broken serve almost at will in the opening set, a glint of victory was in his eyes, coupled with immense relief.

If Hewitt was low on confidence before the start of this tournament Lee was virtually devoid of it, having lost eight successive first-round matches prior to this week. Small wonder Hewitt could barely believe what was happening to him early on.

He picked at his racket strings between points with almost manic obsession and constantly muttered to himself, invariably a bad sign. He also found himself trying to control play from yards beyond the baseline, and his attack on the Korean's backhand bordered on the monotonous. And nothing worked.

This appeared not simply a lack of self-belief but a genuine crisis of confidence. Hewitt's inability to open up the court, or to take the initiative in tight situations, made him seem like an automaton. He was simply waiting for something to happen, rather than trying to make it happen, quite unlike the Hewitt of a year ago.

Some have blamed his loss of form on the fact that he no longer has a qualified coach travelling with him; others say the lawsuit he is pursuing against the tour professionals' organisation, the ATP, has taken his mind off tennis; there have been whispers of a rift between him and his Belgian girlfriend Kim Clijsters. Whatever the truth, Hewitt has been struggling with his game, but retains the belief that if he can get through the first week here then he has as good a chance as anybody of taking the title.

Certainly the power of positive thinking came to his rescue yesterday. Whatever thoughts were whizzing through his brain as he sat in his chair after the first set, he sprang on to court with the clear intention of backing his ability to turn matters around. The backhand down the line, a trademark shot, was unleashed, together with the top-spin lob, and the power behind his forehand increased sharply. Lee began to wilt under the barrage, and when Hewitt won the third set the veins almost popped out of his neck, such was the intensity of his celebration.

"It was tough tennis, but I was much more aggressive in the second set and I think that turned things around," said Hewitt. "You walk into this place and know that this is what tennis is all about."

Lee actually served much better in the fourth set whereas Hewitt's first serve was erratic throughout the match, and when the crucial break came for him at 4-4 in the fourth set it took him seven deuces to finish off the Korean.

"I still feel I have all the strength and weapons that I had when I won this tournament, but I just haven't been peaking. It may take just one match to turn it all around," said Hewitt. It is possible this might have been the match.