It appears that Lleyton Hewitt will not compete on tour until the grass-court season begins. Following the Australian Open, the former No. 1 said that he would not play after the Davis Cup in early February until after the clay-court season, but the 34-year-old changed his mind and played in Miami, where he lost in the first round.
The No. 109-ranked Hewitt then took a wild card into the clay-court event in Houston, where he lost in the first round against Japan's Go Soeda on Monday. There has been speculation that the reason why he played is that he wants to win 100 matches on clay (he's currently at 98). The Australian has 367 wins on hard courts and 128 on grass. Only six players in the Open era have reached 100 wins on every surface.
ESPN analyst Darren Cahill, who knows Hewitt well and used to coach him, told TENNIS.com that Hewitt doesn't plan to play again until the grass-court season. He added that Hewitt only went to Houston because he likes the area so much.
Hewitt has said that he is likely to retire after the 2016 Australian Open.