Federer, Hewitt Make 2005 Debuts Monday; Hingis, Philippous

[onewoman74]

I think Roddick is playing Kooyong this year.

[crm]

Okay, I'm confused. Can Hewitt be the number 2 seed in time for the AO or not. All of the tennis websites say that he can if he makes the semis, so did they just figure the points wrong or are we missing something?? I am not a Hewitt fan so I hope that you all are right!!

[pepper]

Okay, I'm confused. Can Hewitt be the number 2 seed in time for the AO or not. All of the tennis websites say that he can if he makes the semis, so did they just figure the points wrong or are we missing something?? I am not a Hewitt fan so I hope that you all are right!!

No, he can't get the number two ranking this week. The best he can do is match Roddick in points, but Andy will stay number two as he's done better in certain tournaments.

[ChrisM]

If they tie, I think they should leg-wrestle for the seeding. Forget this formulaic tie-breaking shit.

[gsm]

onewoman74 wrote

I think Roddick is playing kooyong this year

I think your right.

[gsm]

what a shambles that was , see above.

I'm sticking to what I know , computers and stuff very little , just get by.

[boyo]

i checked out the site for pix of a buff hewitt. i saw the same semi-scrawny but very fit looking surfer dude ... perhaps i missed the buff ones.

would make sense tho that he'd try and be stronger. his game is so much like agassi's, and getting into superb shape did wonders for him for sure, but, i don't think hewitt is so much in the baseline, no?

based on the stats of the say their last two or three matches, what would hewitt have to do to edge out maestro federer?

[mariam]

I don't think lleyton can do anything specifically different to beat fed...the usual approach is to tell him to volley more, but IMO natural baseliners should not try to incorporate volleys in their game so late in their career. it's just embarrassing to watch ( we are not mention any names *cough* andy roddick*cough). Someone like safin who is a better overall athlete, can pull it off, but not lleyton.
he just has to stick to his guns--I believe he has beaten fed more than anyone else--just scrap out evrey point, be patient, and rattle fed(take his timing away)...if it's at all possible. We'll see...
the more I read quotes from fed, the more I think that he's a little too arrogant for my taste. I think that it can be his ultimate downfall: taking opponents too lightly.
what's that saying? the higher they rise, the more painful the fall.

[crm]

Fed does act a little arrogant, but if I had twice as many points as the number 2 player, I might get a little arrogant too. At least he has something to be arrogant about. Hewitt, on the other hand, has given numerous quotes about how he can beat Roger and everyone else. Hewitt wouldn't even be in the number 3 position if he would have went to the Olympics like everyone else did. Most of the top 50 players went to Athens and so he won those two tournaments in the US. Maybe that was his plan all along. So I will give him some credit...that was pretty smart but overall Hewitt has nothing to be arrogant about. (sorry for getting a little off-topic!)

[Denise50]

I can see I'm going to enjoy reading from this forum! I see all the Federer haters - but there are a lot of Federer lovers here as well. To the person who said Hewitt has 'buffed' up to beat Federer... Well, he's going to need it although I don't think it's help too much. And Safin! Please, Safin's a mental case! If he ever got his head together, he would do great. But that's a big IF. Anyway... I'm really looking forward to another dominating year by Federer in 2005. Bring on the challengers!

[boyo]

it's one thing to be a fan. but insistent cheerleading seems not a very subtle way of enjoying a player.

federer is amazing and graceful on court. but for sure, someone is going to brew a game that GETS UNDER HIS SKIN. just a matter of time. i look forward to some classic matches.

it's plain to see that roddick can develop a more persuasive net game. in fact, his pursuit of that got him in dutch a little toward the end of the year. gotta be willing to sacrafice short term for the long-term. it's painful to see a 34 year old agassi come to the net, cause it seems like he's doing it because there is no other way out. andy-boy needs to avoid finding himself in that corner. his serve and that forehand + a net game means wimbledon time.

[ChrisM]

Hewitt doesn't appear to be much huger, but he's certainly increased muscle mass in his shoulders and arms, and his core looks more ripped as well.

This increased strength can only help him against Federer, but it's a limited opportunity offer. He's got to hang in there for the long haul against Federer in long (slam) matches. Remember the last big win Hewitt had against Federer? Davis Cup, five sets. Hewitt has to aim to defeat Federer in five sets. He has to aim to be the stronger, fitter, fresher player at the end of the fifth set. Federer's talent won't go away, but a player like Hewitt can hope to out-train him. This won't really work at the regular tour events, unless the heat and humidity are extreme, but in a long five set match it can be the difference.

Everyone cites Agassi's fitness, but strangely enough his record in five setters wasn't really exemplary given his training regimen. A player like Pat Rafter didn't have a good record against Agassi in 2-of-3 matches, but in 3-of-5's at the slams he did a lot better against Agassi. Agassi's high talent level couldn't always get him through five sets against a fitter, hard-working opponent like Rafter.

This has got to be what Hewitt is going for.... not to mention the painfully obvious... if you can get to that match against Federer by easily steamrolling the lesser opponents, the war-of-attrition strategy has extra ammunition from the start. Hewitt doesn't want to be out there for three hours in the second round.

[gsm]

"boyo" buffed is an exageration but he is definately less scrawny than he was. And not ashamed to flaunt it.[/b]

[ccm]

i checked out the site for pix of a buff hewitt. i saw the same semi-scrawny but very fit looking surfer dude ... perhaps i missed the buff ones.

would make sense tho that he'd try and be stronger. his game is so much like agassi's, and getting into superb shape did wonders for him for sure, but, i don't think hewitt is so much in the baseline, no?

hewitt's not so much able to change direction easily on the ball, like agassi - a strength issue?? even a bit more firepower may help with this.

agassi, hallowed fitness notwithstanding, is somewhat of a tugboat with the extra muscle mass. hewitt can't afford to carry a lot of extra cargo, being speed-reliant and also being basically pretty fine-boned. guess he's working within his parameters, even if he's not going to score his own calendar anytime soon.

also, might give him another layer of confidence - that's one thing fed really has taken out of him. that said, his late-breaking whinging about the AO court surface doesn't sound like a man who truly believes he'll be tucked in next to a big stuffed 'roo come Jan 30.

oh and for your viewing pleasure, "hulk hewitt":
http://homepage.mac.com/squashnazi/FileSharing1.html

(as a special bonus feature i included a pic of his unarguably buff pal and current roommate, andrew mcleod)

[ccm]

If they tie, I think they should leg-wrestle for the seeding. Forget this formulaic tie-breaking shit.

LOL.

unfair advantage to roddick though, with those tree-trunks.

i say a slap fight. . . .