18th July, 1999

DETERMINED HEWITT SERVES NOTICE

LLEYTON Hewitt has been ready to play Davis Cup for a long time - but nobody knew just how ready. His game and temperament are perfect for the pressure of Davis Cup tennis, and it showed in his match against Todd Martin.

Watching the match on TV in the locker room, I could not help but get excited, I know how tough Todd is to play, but Lleyton matches up well with him. With the conditions being so brutal, you had to put your money on Lleyton over five sets.

The pressures of Davis Cup do strange things to players. Some guys revel in it, others are stifled by it, but Lleyton loves it. There are very few players in the world with a similar mentality. It was incredible sitting there watching him work Todd over. He handled the situation beautifully and put us on the right track.

I WAS too relaxed by the time I hit the court against Jim Courier because I had made a big effort not to be too excited. I could not believe how hot it was out on the court and I had to be careful to manage what I was doing.

If I did not win any of the first three points on Jim's service game, I virtually gave away the game. It seemed to work for me. I was prepared to go five sets with him, so winning in three was a bonus. But we still have a lot of work to do.

Winning the first two matches meant we could have a great dinner and a couple of laughs, but we want to make it three-nil and get into the semi-finals.

You can never underestimate t he US, though, as they have the talent to come back and win the tie 3-2 if we get complacent.

ONE of the most enjoyable aspects of the tie, at the Longwood Cricket Club, has been the sense of history. The club is one of the oldest in the US and there is a great Australian heritage running through it.

Australians have had enormous success here over the years and some of them including Frank Sedgman, Ken McGregor and Neale Fraser have returned for the centennial tie.

They were among some of the greatest players our country has had and it was a thrill to pose for a photograph with them in front of the clubhouse this week.

But if we had our way, none of us would be here. The tie should have been played in Australia under the rotational system, but that is another story.

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