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LLEYTON
SWEEPS NALBANDIAN TO TAKE WIMBLEDON TITLE
What's
ahead for No. 1 Hewitt?
By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
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Fred Mullane
Camerawork USA, Inc.
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It's one thing to go into Wimbledon
the favorite and it's another to so thoroughly dominate the field,
but that is exactly what the 21-year-old Adelaide Crow Lleyton Hewitt
did, embarrassing England's Tim Henman in the semis and then wiping
out Argentina's David Nalbandian in the final.
The tour hasn't had a dominant 21-year-old in a long time –
not Pete Sampras, who began to peak at age 22, nor Andre Agassi,
who played his best tennis in his late 20s. Jim Courier and his
Aussie Open through Roland Garros runs comes to mind. Both he and
Lleyton are nail-tough competitors with huge hearts and not just
a little bit of hate brimming underneath their white caps. Courier
was a more powerful player off the ground, but Lleyton is a more
accomplished all-courter who is faster and a much better volleyer.
Hewitt has been the sport's top dog since he won his first U.S.
Open crown last September and it's hard to think of anyone who is
in a good enough mental space to knock him from the top spot this
year.
Only Marat Safin appeared to have a fighting chance coming into
Wimbledon and he played so poorly in his loss to giant killer Olivier
Rochus and took the defeat so lightly that it will take heart transplant
to get the 2000 U.S. Open champion spilling his guts again.
Nalbandian showed a lot of game and grit in reaching the final and
it's apparent that he has a solid future in the sport, but he does
not have weapons to hit through Hewitt on hard courts. Agassi is
sure to make trouble on the cement this summer and has a shot at
the Open crown, but the 32-year-old dad simply will not play enough
to take over the No. 1 ranking.
THE SLIM FIELD OF CONTENDERS
Who else is left? Not Sampras, who will be fortunate to win
a Tier II title this summer; not Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who seems more
motivated playing doubles now; not Henman, who is Hewitt's prisoner;
not Aussie Open champ Thomas Johansson, who seems destined to be
a one-Slam wonder; and certainly not Roger Federer, who has been
the most disappointing Slam performer of the year.
There are a few men who have shown enough spunk this summer to at
least earn themselves a brawl with Lleyton in Flushing Meadows:
Guga Kuerten, who's fresh and put in on the line at Roland Garros
despite a lot of rust; '02 French champ Albert Costa, who now finally
believes in himself and is hitting the ball big enough to dig some
holes in asphalt; Wimby semifinalist Xavier Malisse, who appears
to be finally adding bravery to his talent; Roland Garros finalist
Juan Carlos Ferrero, the only notable Spaniard gutsy enough to play
Wimbledon; and Andy Roddick, whose miserable last six weeks will
give him plenty of motivation to step up in the summer.
All these men need to make an impression during the U.S. summer
hardcourt season leading up to the Open, so they can give themselves
enough confidence if they have to face Down Under's favorite back
alley brawler.
Give credit to Hewitt's new coach, Jason Stoltenberg, for aiding
his stead in improving his serve and volleys over the past seven
months. Hewitt is nearly a complete player now and although he still
could make some minor improvements in his game, it's very hard to
find many holes there. Unless he breaks a leg or goes on a massive
losing streak, the defending U.S. Open champion will go into Flushing
Meadows as a huge favorite, a distinction that few, if any, 21-year-olds
have held in the past decade.
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