"His strengths are still pretty much the same. Obviously his serve's his biggest strength. For a big guy he moves well. From the back of the court his forehand is probably stronger than his backhand."
"He's a fighter," said Roddick. "I have as much respect for him as I do for anybody in the game, how he goes about his business, how he competes, how professional he is."
In recent times, both players have had to fight their way back from various injuries. Hewitt's mind has railed against a body that has suffered from various ailments stemming from the stress his grinding style of play puts on it.
Most recently a foot complaint has kept the former No.1 off the court. It’s a problem that is lingering and still requires "a little bit of work every day" according to Hewitt.
Roddick has had his own share of problems – a bout of mononucleosis in 2010 and then last year an injured shoulder kept him out of the French Open, followed by an abdominal strain that added to his time on the sidelines.
Looking at tonight’s match-up, 15th-seeded Roddick, regardless of what he says about rankings being meaningless, will start the favourite.
In his favour, Roddick has had an easier passage to tonight’s match. A 6-3 6-4 6-1 win over Robin Haase provided the American with the perfect entree to tonight’s main course.
Hewitt, however, had to rely on his instincts to navigate his way into the second round after up-and-coming German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe provided some early resistance to Hewitt’s charge. Hewitt ultimately prevailed in four sets, but it was not as straightforward as his team, especially his physio Ivan Gutierrez, would have hoped.
Ever the warrior, even in his post-match press conference Hewitt was mentally preparing himself for another fight.
“I'll just go out there and see what happens.”
And whatever happens, one thing’s for sure – it will be compulsive viewing.
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