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by Pete Bodo
As Davis Cup wins go, it wasn't a particularly earth-shattering one, although it certainly required a game spirit and great bounce-back abilities from Roger Federer. The Swiss former No. 1 barely had time to recalibrate his fancy watch from New York to Sydney (Australia) time before he had to go out on a grass court at Royal Sydney Golf Club to face a nemesis not named Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Federer was up against Lleyton Hewitt. Two 30-year old dudes, going at it hammer and tong again, perhaps for the last time in either of their careers.
Just days ago, Federer had said, of a long ago and faraway Davis Cup loss to Hewitt in 2003 in Melbourne: "I still believe it was one of my toughest losses I ever had as a player. People might think [the recent one against] Djokovic was rough, but for me that was nothing compared to the Lleyton loss back in '03 just because I felt I should have won so bad."
Remember then?
It was before Federer penciled Davis Cup off his to-do list, and somehow he managed to carry the Swiss to the semis; the No. 2 singles job was up for grabs between the likes of George Bastl (career high No. 71, and if you want to smile check out his photo) or Michel Kratochvil (who, surprisingly, was ranked as high as No. 35 less than a year before the tie under discussion). The Aussies featured Hewitt, in the full bloom of his career, as well as Mark Philippoussis (the best player never to have won a major) and a sneaky good doubles team in Todd Woodbridge (one half of the Woodys, regarded by many as perhaps the greatest doubles team of all time) and southpaw Wayne Arthurs.
In the quarterfinals, the Swiss met a tough and versatile French team. Federer, who would win the first major of his career just a few months later at Wimbledon, carried Switzerland to the next round with three wins (two singles and the doubles, partnered with aging veteran and team captain Marc Rosset), including the clincher against Fabrice Santoro. While the finalist awaiting the winner between the Swiss and Aussies was a strong Spanish team featuring two former No. 1s, Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero, either Australia or the Swiss would host the tie—presumably on a fast court of some kind.
But back to the tie in Melborune. Hewitt staked the Aussies to a 1-0 lead, but Federer ripped through Philippoussis in straights to level. Woodbridge and Arthurs managed to nip past Federer and Rosset in an extremely close doubles, 6-4 in the fifth. The duration of that match must have played some role in the way things worked out on Sunday.
Federer was on fire at the outset of the fourth rubber, winning the first two sets against Hewitt, 7-5, 6-2. The third set was excruciatingly close; Hewitt barely managed to claw and clutch his way to a tiebreaker, which he eventually won, 7-4. He took the fourth, too, 7-5. By that time, his relentless, grinding, counter-punching style had so softened up the leg-weary Federer that Hewitt won the fifth set going away, 6-1.
Australia would go on to blast the Spanish off the hard courts at Rod Laver Arena, with Philippoussis—a first-day loser to Carlos Moya—vindicating himself by clinching the Cup in the fourth match (a five-setter in which Ferrero lost the decisive set 6-0). In retrospect, it was something of a last hurrah. Australia would make it as far as the semifinals of the World Group on just one more occasion, in 2006—where host Argentina would shut out Hewitt, Philippoussis and Arthurs, 0-5.
Today in Melbourne, Federer finally got to avenge himself on Hewitt for that painful loss of 2003, even if this is no semifinal, but a desperation playoff-round (the winner gets to remain in the World Group for next year; the loser must go down and essentially play qualifying rounds for an entire year). But that hardly matters; maybe it makes all of this more poignant. Besides, you put Federer in his red-and-white Switzerland kit before Hewitt and it's like waving a scarlet cape at a bull. And we already know that Federer has a long, long memory when it comes to devastating losses, perhaps because he's suffered so few.
Amusingly, the encounter was almost a reverse-image of the earlier one, but with the roles reversed. Hewitt leaped out to a 7-5, 3-1 lead, putting Federer in desperate straits, given that Bernard Tomic had upset Stanislas Wawrinka in the first match of the tie. But Federer lashed back, much like Hewitt had in that clash nearly a decade ago. He ultimately rained down 22 aces (to Hewitt's three) on the lush grass of Royal Sydney and swept aside Hewitt to leave the tie knotted at 1-all. Switzerland is favored to win the doubles (Federer and Wawrinka were the doubles gold medalists in the most recent Olympic games); if that happens, Federer will try to clinch against Tomic in the fourth rubber.
I'd like to see Tomic upset Federer in that one, but only because I'd love to see Hewitt get one more shot at glory. Sure, it's a relegation tie, and nothing like the one the big boys from Serbia and Spain are involved in this weekend. But one of the beauties of Davis Cup is each tie is a significant event unto itself. You think Federer, Hewitt, or those legions of Aussies are thinking, Geez, it's just the playoff round. . .?
And because this is Davis Cup, it hardly matters that Federer and Hewitt won't lock horns again this weekend. Federer may have won the battle, but Hewitt still may win the war. And he's such a Davis Cup stalwart that you just know all that matters to him is that Australia advance (notch up another plus for the Davis Cup idea). I keep wishing I were in Sydney for this one, for while Federer will surely be around for a while, Hewitt is fading, albeit in a way of which the Irish bard would most approve.
I would have liked to see these autumnal warriors who many never meet again, except perhaps in an airport transit lounge some time in the undetermined future.