The Sports Bookie Blog

Former champ bids to end Federer’s 62-match winning streak

June 29th, 2008

Hewitt faces an uphill task 
Lleyton Hewitt will attempt to halt Roger Federer’s charge towards a sixth Wimbledon title on Monday – and he will use Tiger Woods as an inspiration.

Former champion Hewitt faces Federer in the last 16 knowing his opponent has now won 62 consecutive matches on grass. To add to his task, the Australian is struggling with a hip injury which he admits would have ruled him out of any other tournament. But Hewitt hopes he can follow in Woods’ lead – he won the US Open earlier this month despite clearly struggling with a knee problem which has since ruled him out for the rest of the season.

“I love watching Tiger play, he’s one of my favourite sportsmen,” said the 27-year-old from Adelaide. “What he did was incredible. I don’t really know if anyone else would have been able to do it. Not only to play four rounds but then go out and play a fifth day (for the play-off).

“That’s the kind of stage that was set up perfectly for him. It really was. No-one else on this planet, I don’t think, could have got through with the win.”

Woods was very cagey about the extent of his injury during the event and Hewitt is also keen not to talk up his problem. “I don’t complain about injuries too much, I think that comes from a (Australian Rules) football background,” added the 2002 winner. “You don’t show when you’re hurt. It’s the same out on the court. Very rarely do I give away signs if I’m hurting at all. It’s signs of weakness. I try to play the cards pretty close to my chest.”

Federer has a 13-7 win-loss record against Hewitt, including the last 11 in a row. Two of those wins have come at Wimbledon – the 2004 quarter-finals and the 2005 semi-final.

Attractive
But Hewitt does have at least one advantage – he is now coached by the legendary Tony Roche, who also coached Federer for two and a half years until they split in May last year.

“Rochey’s obviously going to know a lot,” Hewitt added. “There’s no doubt about that. But you’ve still got to go out there and execute it as well and not play into Roger’s hands too much. “It can only help but it’s not the absolute key to success. You’ve still got to go out there and do it.”

While Federer-Hewitt is arguably the pick of the fourth-round matches, all of which are due to take place on Monday, there are plenty of other attractive clashes to look forward to.

Second seed Rafael Nadal faces a potentially-tricky clash with Mikhail Youzhny on Court One. The Russian has given Nadal plenty of problems in the past andhas won four of their previous 10 meetings. He was also close to toppling the Spaniard when they met at the same stage here last year when Youzhny led by two sets to love before Nadal stormed back to win in five.

Youzhny amazingly won their last meeting 6-0 6-1 in Chennai earlier this year but has needed five sets to win each of his last two matches here and could pay the price for those exertions against Nadal. That match will be followed by another Russian, Novak Djokovic’s conqueror Marat Safin, up against Switzerland’s 13th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.

On Court Two Janko Tipsarevic, who accounted for Andy Roddick in the second round, takes on his good friend Rainer Schuettler, while former semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez will fight it out on Court 18.

Croatian fans will be heading to Court 11 to see Mario Ancic take on Spain’s Fernando Verdasco and Marin Cilic up against France’s Arnaud Clement.

Compare LIVE WIMBLEDON TENNIS ODDS across the top online sportsbooks here at BookieLabRat.com

Entry Filed under: Sports Betting,Sports News & Results