Article

  • Wimbledon Fourth Round: Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt

    6/29/08 4:05 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - Roger Federer's bid for an Open Era record six straight Wimbledon titles really begins with the second week. He faces his first seeded opponent in Lleyton Hewitt on Monday.

    It's hard to call it a rivalry, but Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have met head-to-head a whopping 20 times in their long and illustrious careers (three more than Federer-Nadal). Part 21 will take place on Monday in the Wimbledon fourth round. Overall Federer has what appears to be an unimposing 13-7 record over Hewitt, however when you break it down, the world No. 1 has won their last 11 encounters. They have squared off just three times on grass, with Federer taking the most recent two (both at Wimbledon) after dropping the first in a Wimbledon tune-up back in 2001.

    Hewitt faces long odds once again, but he is enjoying the form that is required to have any chance of upsetting Federer. The Aussie missed the entire clay-court swing leading up to the French Open due to a hip injury, but he stormed out of nowhere to score two easy wins in Roland Garros before giving David Ferrer an absolute battle in a five-set third-round loss. Hewitt looks even better on grass, and that has been the case throughout his career. He reached the quarterfinals at Queen's Club two weeks ago and his past Wimbledon record garnered him the No. 20 seed despite being ranked No. 27 in the world. Hewitt won the title in 2002 and has reached the fourth round twice, the quarterfinals twice, and the semifinals once. So far this week he has dispatched dangerous Dutchman Robin Haase (in five sets), Spaniard Albert Montanes (in three), and fast-rising Simone Bolelli (in three).

    As well as Hewitt is playing, his only real hope is to catch Federer on an off day. While that comes perhaps once in a lifetime, Federer has not been the normal Federer in 2008. So far this season he has lost to Andy Murray, Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, and Radek Stepanek in addition to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (three times). Federer has also won just two titles in 2008, although one of those came on the grass courts of Halle last week. It looks, however, like Federer is heating up on his old stomping grounds at the All-England Club. He has crushed all three of his opponents (Dominik Hrbaty, Robin Söderling, and Marc Gicquel) and only one set out of nine has been extended to a tiebreaker.

    Hewitt will undoubtedly provide Federer with his toughest test yet. But what does that mean? One set? Two sets? No sets, but several close sets? If Hewitt serves well he will keep things competitive throughout the afternoon, but Federer is 20-2 in his last 22 sets against Hewitt so it's hard to pick anything other than the top seed in three.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password: