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12/18/08 12:28 AM | David Cox
10 years ago it was all so different for Australian tennis. The US Open had just featured an all-Aussie final between Pat Rafter at his peak and a new rising star Mark Philippoussis.
A teenage Lleyton Hewitt was making fast inroads into the top 50 and 'the Woodies' still ruled the doubles world.
Now with Rafter and the Woodies long retired and Philippoussis injury-riddled, all hopes rest on the hard-serving but inconsistent Chris Guccione and a rusty Lleyton Hewitt. Although Hewitt won't bring himself to admit it, his best days are behind him.
True, Australia has some very promising juniors but it will take a few years for the likes of Brydan Klein, Greg Jones, and Bernard Tomic to make their mark in the men's game and become capable of giving home fans something to cheer about in the first slam of the year.
Guccione often produces his best tennis Down Under, as last January he made the final in Sydney and if Hewitt falls early, expectations will be on for him to produce that big slam run Aussie fans have been waiting for. He'll need a few wins to defend those Sydney points, and an early loss that week would send him toppling well out of the top 100. He's got an opportunity in Melbourne, though, having disappointed last year, losing in the opening round to Hyung-Taik Lee.
"There's always pressure to see if I can do something similar (to in Sydney)," Guccione said at Melbourne Park yesterday. But, if not, then get away and try to make some points throughout the year. You can only go out there and do your best. It would be nice to do well here one of these years. I've had a few tough draws and I've had a couple of matches I should've won. So, if I can just get over the line this time who knows.
"2008 was a long year, but I've had a decent break - two and a half weeks off since my last tournament - and I'm feeling great right now and getting back into it. Hopefully, by the time January comes around, I'll be ready to go."
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