Monday, July 08, 2002
Hewitt wins second Slam title
Youngest champ since Becker in '86
The Associated Press
WIMBLEDON, England — Lleyton Hewitt made certain this Wimbledon of upsets wouldn't end with one. The No.1-ranked player kept his temper in check, his strokes on the lines, and wasn't fazed by rain delays or a streaker's show.
Hewitt won his second Grand Slam title with a command performance, beating greener-than-grass David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 Sunday in a baseliners' duel that produced the most lopsided Wimbledon final since 1984.
At 21, the Australian is the tournament's youngest champion since Boris Becker won it a second time in 1986 at 18.
“I kept looking at the scoreboard to see if it was real,” Hewitt said. “It's an unbelievable feeling. I always dreamed that some day I would be playing for this trophy.”
Nalbandian's nerves showed on the match's very first point — a double fault. He had every right to be a bit shaken: Before this fortnight, the 20-year-old Argentine had never played in a tour-level grass-court event, had never been past the third round in three majors, and owned exactly one career title.
His first shot on Centre Court came the morning of the final, when he practiced with coach Gabriel Markus for 30 minutes.
“I didn't care about the conditions, the stadium, the situation,” the 28th-seeded Nalbandian said. “It was difficult because Lleyton is playing very good.”
Despite dictating play and going for corners or lines repeatedly, Hewitt had more winners (30-12) and fewer unforced errors (25-41) than Nalbandian.
Ripping returns off both wings, Hewitt broke Nalbandian's serve eight times.
Nalbandian was a big beneficiary of a topsy-turvy tournament in which Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin all lost in the second round. Nalbandian would have had to face Sampras in the third round, Safin in the quarterfinals, and Agassi in the semis.
Instead, he got to play George Bastl, Nicolas Lapentti and Xavier Malisse.
Before Sunday, there had been four straight first-time major winners, and eight men had won the last eight Grand Slam events.
In a wide-open era of men's tennis, Hewitt is as close to dominant as anyone right now, and it's been a quick trip to the top.
In 1997, at 15 years and 11 months, he became the youngest qualifier for the Australian Open. He turned pro the next year and upset Agassi en route to a hard-court title in his hometown of Adelaide while ranked 550th — the lowest for a tournament winner in ATP Tour history.
When Hewitt beat Sampras in September for his first major title, he was the U.S.Open's youngest champ since Sampras in 1990.
He finished 2001 as the youngest year-end No.1.
Hewitt, however, hasn't always been adored by his sports-wild countrymen because of his brash style.
While playing James Blake at the U.S. Open, he made a comment interpreted by some as racist during a tirade.
He's been fined for using foul language on court and for calling a chair umpire at the 2001 French Open “spastic.”
A more mature Hewitt was on display at Wimbledon.
He did nothing to rile up the partisan crowd during a straight-set semifinal victory over Britain's Tim Henman and was never rattled during Sunday's match, which was suspended twice for a total of 49 minutes because of rain.
Typically, grass suits players who serve-and-volley. Hewitt is just the third baseliner in the past 20 years to win Wimbledon. Jimmy Connors did it in 1982, Agassi in '92.
Through seven matches over two weeks, Hewitt tried to serve and volley just once. He faulted.
“For me, growing up, grass wasn't my favorite surface,” said Hewitt, whose five career titles on the surface rank second only to Sampras' 10 among active players. “But there was something about Wimbledon that drew you to come here: the tradition.”
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