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10/20/10 6:14 PM | Johan Lindahl
Lleyton Hewitt will be making a huge change in his Australian Open preparation by playing at the AAMI Classic in Melbourne the week before the season's first Grand Slam in January.
Officials said they are also trying to lure Swede Robin Soderling, world No. 5, into the eight-man field.
Hewitt, 29, is so keen to finally win his home major after well over a decade of trying that he will try anything to make sure of his preparation. That will now include skipping his usual Sydney ATP event to play in the four-day competition at Kooyong club, former home of the Open until the late 1980s.
Joining Hewitt in the field will be Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, Russian Mikhail Youzhny, Spain's Fernando Verdasco, and the French pair of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 Australian Open finalist, and Gael Monfils.
Promoter Colin Stubs and Hewitt go back more than a decade. "I was involved with the ATP Adelaide tournament in 1998, where Lleyton was the recipient of his first wild card," said the promoter. He went on to beat Andre Agassi in the semis and Jason Stoltenberg in the final.
"I have been watching his career with interest since then. His manager called me recently seeking to explore the possibility of varying his Australian Open preparation. An agreement to participate was quickly confirmed."
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