WIMBLEDON: DAY 8

Hewitt takes aim at Federer
Roger has a 2-0 lead this year

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan and Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Hewitt v. Federer: the last two champions face off.

FROM WIMBLEDON – Lleyton Hewitt doesn't want to be forgotten as an elite player. If he plays like he did in knocking out Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) in the fourth round of Wimbledon, he has a terrific chance to give defending champion Roger Federer hell in the quarterfinals.

That's that quarterfinal that everyone's been looking to since the tournament began: the graceful, No. 1 Swiss putting his crown on the line against the gritty Australian, who won this title in 2002. It's another chapter in what could turn into an epic rivalry.

"I'd like to think so. We'll just start with this quarterfinal match and see what happens," Hewitt said. "He's the in-form player. If I beat him, I'll be extremely confident."

The 23-year-old Australian had better be very confident before the match begins. Federer has yet to be broken in four matches and, on Monday, stared down the service bombs of 6-foot-10 inch Ivo Karlovic in a straight-set win. He's not serving huge, but seems to own every corner of the box and is very difficult. He's an ambitious returner, a beautiful ground stroker and with Tim Henman, is the best volleyer left in the draw.

"Every match so far on grass has been quite unbelievable," said Federer after his 21st straight win on the lawns. "I've always played great tennis. There's not a match where I remember I've played bad and came through. I always played very good. This is good looking ahead to the tournament because from here on only tough opponents will come my way."

During his title run here and for almost all of 2002, Hewitt was as tough they come. But 2003 wasn't as kind to him, as during the first three-quarters of the year, he struggled physically, pressed mentally and was unable to impose his fierce spirit on the other elite players. Hewitt is a quick counter puncher who has down a great deal to up the power level in his game, but if his lungs and his legs aren't at 100 percent, he can be beaten down.

HEWITT'S BEAT ROGER IN '03 DAVIS CUP
That's what happened to him at the Grand Slams last year and fortunately for Hewitt, he was smart enough to bag tournament play after the US Open and concentrate solely on Davis Cup, where he pulled off two incredible victories over Federer and then Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero to help lead his nation to the coveted crown.

"I had two years there where I played so many matches," he said. "I had the chickenpox straight after I got No. 1 in The Masters Cup in Sydney, and played a Davis Cup final. Maybe that wore me out a little. It was extremely important to take those two months before the Davis Cup final against Spain. A lot of people questioned whether I'd be able to come out beat those guys who were Top 5 in the world. I believed in my ability. I think that held me in good stead as well for this whole year, as well – staying at home, training extremely hard, getting a break from the grind week in and week out."

Hewitt's been competitive all year long but he's hit the wall at the Grand Slams, losing to four-setter to eventual Federer in the Australian Open round of 16 and then he took a straight-set thumping to Gaston Gaudio in the Roland Garros quarterfinals. It's some consolation that Hewitt lost to both eventual champions, but it doesn't make a guy who finished at No.1 two years running feel particularly cozy.

Roger has a 2-0 lead this year
Outwardly, Hewitt rarely shows vulnerability. Inwardly, his guts have to be churning. If he can get over on Federer – whom owns a career 7-4 record against – he's almost a lock to reach the final. He has very good records against Henman and Andy Roddick, his probable final-round foes. But he cannot think that far ahead, because Federer has beaten him the last two times they've played.

"I believe I can beat Roger," Hewitt said. "It's going to be an extremely tough match. He's the best player out there at the moment. He's No. 1 in the world for a reason and he's going through the draw pretty convincingly I'm the underdog. But I believe in my ability and I've played well enough against him in the past."

Federer is an incredible frontrunner who rarely losses when he has a significant lead. The only time in the past year that he's folded with a huge lead was against Hewitt in Davis Cup, when the man they call Rusty wore him out 5 -7, 2-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-1.

"He's an extremely good player. When he gets on that run, he's very hard to stop, when he gets confident," Hewitt said. "He's a shot-maker. I'll try and get off to a good start. But then again in the Davis Cup, I came back from two sets and a break down. I'll try and hang in there."

Federer conceded that the match will be very difficult to get past. But he knows that if he brings his highest level, he should walk away the winner. But he's also very aware with a scrapper like Hewitt, blood could be spilled.

"Every time I step on the court, I'm playing at a very high level," Federer said. You need somebody who can play in the very high level and very consistently. So far nobody's been able to do that on grass this year, but it can change very quickly."