2 Responses to dc03hewitt_federer

1. Voo de Mar says:

   December 18, 2024 at 8:05 am

   Points won by each set: | 36-40, 13-28, 43-40, 40-36, 26-12 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   25 % Hewitt – 39 of 154
   26 % Federer – 42 of 160

   Rod Laver Arena… [7] Hewitt – the top ranked player of the years 2001-02 – once he realized he wouldn’t finish a third straight season as the best player on the planet (it happened after the US Open ’03), he put all his eggs in one basket, and decided to entirely focus on the Davis Cup ’03 as well as the Australian Open 2004 spending several months only in Australia. The first goal he achieved: in the Davis Cup semifinal against Switzerland, after a quick win over Kratochvil on Friday, two days later he made the arguably biggest comeback of his career overcoming Federer [3] despite trailing 3:5* (30-all) in the 3rd set – at this juncture Hewitt’s FH return landed on the baseline forcing an error. What’s more stunning about this victory is the fact, Federer had won 31 consecutive sets in the Davis Cup singles rubbers prior to the moment he was trying to close the Hewitt match out in three comfortable sets. Hewitt was two points away from defeat also at 4:5 (deuce) when he got the point with an unreturned serve. The tie-break he won 7/3 – afterwards Federer took a medical time-out outside the court (a day before he’d been involved in a tight 5-set doubles rubber), the floodlights were activated. Federer improved from *2:5 to 5-all in the 4th, but Hewitt pretty convincingly grabbed 8 out of the last 9 games clinching the tie with an overhead (his lone that day) and celebrating on his knees (photo). Following that tie Hewitt rested for two months which certainly helped him to win another dramatic 5-set encounter against a higher ranked opponent – Ferrero – who played four ATP events in the meantime, fighting for the top spot in men’s ranking.

   Serve & volley: Hewitt 0, Federer 13/22

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   December 18, 2024 at 8:30 am

   Following the 3-hour 30-minute contest between the two best players born in 1981, Hewitt led 7:2 in H2H against Federer. Given that the Australian won their super tight 3-set battle at Masters ’02 and the Davis Cup ’03 rubber it was absolutely unpredictable that Federer would win their 15 (!) straight matches. Hewitt’s mental advantage over the Swiss was unquestionable. But at the time Federer was a quasi serve-and-volleyer; on faster surfaces (hard, carpet) he was attacking the net a lot behind his first serves. He rejected this attitude at the start of 2004, and it was the best decision of his tennis life because he suddenly became almost invincible for a period of four years. Proposing a new game-style, he easily outplayed Hewitt on the same court where he suffered one of the bitterest defeats of his career, just four months later in the Aussie Open fourth round.

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