After losing a three-hour, three-set match to Janko Tipsarevic in the first round of the Australian Open, former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt says the ninth-ranked Serbian isn’t necessarily underrated.
“If he plays like that all the time, he is,” Hewitt said. “I don’t think he does play like that all the time. He’s only won four titles. There’s not too many guys in the Top 10 consistently that have only won four titles. So there’s something missing there. … He’s a quality player, there’s no doubt about it; otherwise he wouldn’t be in the Top 10. But for him to stay in the top 10, he has to play that level week in and week out. I think it’s confidence for him. His ball striking is very nice from the back of court. He moves extremely well for his height. He has to work on his serve a bit. But all in all, he’s a nice, compact player. I think it’s just matches and belief against other players.”