Word: hewitt
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Your story on tennis star Lleyton Hewitt [ON AND OFF THE COURT, Sept. 2] quoted my comment that "a dream match" in this year's U.S. Open tennis tournament "would be four Americans in the singles finals," an outcome you predicted as unlikely. But the championship matches between the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, and Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras proved that sometimes dreams do come true. An all-American conclusion to a great international event! MERV HELLER PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN U.S. TENNIS ASSOCIATION White Plains...
...tennis establishment, Hewitt couldn't have arrived at a better time. With the reigns of Andre Agassi and Sampras drawing to a close--and colorful Europeans as plentiful as empty ashtrays in Paris cafes--there is a big void at the top of the sport. Worse, a vital ATP Tour marketing partner, ISL, went bankrupt last year, leaving men's tennis with a financial shortfall. The tour needs marquee players who can lure big sponsors back to the game...
...better or worse, Hewitt's off-the-court life isn't likely to land him in the tabloids. His parents frequently join him on the road, and when at home in Adelaide, he lives in a guesthouse on their property. "Lleyton is a Jekyll and Hyde," says his mother Cherilyn. "What you see out there on that court is not him." He recently hired a hometown buddy as a one-man entourage to have someone to discuss Australian football with. (Apparently his tennis-pro girlfriend Kim Clijsters, a Belgian, isn't up to the task...
...Hewitt is bracing for the return to New York City. He knows the crowd may well be pulling for a hometown hero like Blake, particularly in the shadow of the anniversary of 9/11. U.S. Tennis Association president Merv Heller concedes as much: "To me, a dream match would be four Americans in the singles finals." That's unlikely, at least for the men. At No. 6., Agassi is the highest-seeded American. Next, at No. 11, is crowd fave Roddick. Both would have to overcome contenders like German No. 3 seed Tommy Haas and Russian No. 2 Safin. And, especially...
After he won last year's Open, Hewitt spent the next day driving around in a limousine to photo shoots, reveling in his victory. Then he boarded a plane to Australia--on Sept. 10. "It's going to be a weird feeling going back," says Hewitt. "I don't know what to expect." New York City being what it still is, the usual U.S. Open etiquette will obtain: Hewitt can expect a pumped-up, howling mob of tennis fanatics looking for a champion. He might not even need to bring Rocky IV along...