Lleyton Hewitt

Finished recently, U.S. Open tennis tournament summed up the series "Grand Slam". Russian finale, which both dreamed of in Russia and who do not like in America, alas, did not take place. 20-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt and the great Pete Sampras stopped our Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin. And the winner of this prestigious tournament sensationally left Lleyton Hewitt.
Insolence - SECOND HAPPINESS?
Australian held at the final match of the space velocities, the journalists called him play tennis XXI century. 30-year-old Sampras is not able to withstand the unprecedented pressure ...
- In the past year - the winner of questioning reporters - you probably watched from the sidelines, as, incidentally, also a 20-year-old Safin defeated in the finals Sampras. About what you were thinking?
- I asked myself: but you can achieve the same success as this Russian guy? Marat shown our generation of tennis players how to win first-magnitude stars.
- Why did you choose tennis? After all, as far as we know, your father was a professional soccer player.
- I, too, up to 13 years in football. Then he got carried away in tennis. Now the father travels with me all the tournaments. Very nice when on the stand for you sick relatives. This gives additional confidence.
Oh what is what, but a lack of confidence Lleyton difficult to suspect: on the court this short haired guy in a baseball cap unchanged worn visor ago, looks downright uppity. He, incidentally, is still often holds its training with peers from the team soccer club Adelaide Crous, for which once served. "I do not remember the time when I did not have to play hard and aggressively. As a child, almost every time, going out on the court, looked at his opponent from the bottom up. These guys were tall and strong, so I had to find some original techniques to overcome them. In the end I realized that the best way to achieve success - to move more actively rival ".

Beloved "Sisters"
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who has carefully observed the final match US Open, of course, rooting for his countryman, but could not pay tribute to the winner: "Hewitt played brilliantly simple. He is young, passion and very reliable. Also, this guy has such quick feet that he would be the envy of any sprinter ".
Passion, excitement and emotion that in every meeting demonstrated Lleyton sometimes spill over the edge. Think of it would conflict with our Yevgeny Kafelnikov in a Davis Cup match, or insulting remarks about the referee during the "Roland Garros" - Hewitt called the judge paralyzed ... Thank God, believes Lleyton, he is with someone in an amicable way to share their aggressiveness.
This, of course, the continued girlfriend - 18-year-old Belgian tennis player Kim Klitsters. Same blond and blue-eyed, like the Australian, Kim has repeatedly refuted the speculation that Hewitt and Klitstersy are in kinship. "I often say that I like Lleyton. When quite far from the tennis people saw us together, they think that we are brother and sister ". Incidentally, the girl's father - Leo Klitsters at one time was one of the most famous footballers of Belgium. But it is not a football past parents bring young.
The initiative, among other things, showed Kim, who after last year's Australian Open Lleyton invited to play a few matches in the mixed doubles. At Wimbledon 2000 the duo walked right up to the final. And when a woman's season came to an end, tennis, throwing everything and rushed to Barcelona to cheer on Hewitt in the final of Davis Cup.
"We are unable to Lleyton see each other every day - sorry Kim. - Men's tournaments are usually far away from women, but the "Grand Slam" we are always close. Train together and there is no need because of the fact that we are in different weight categories. That's really what a pleasure to flog a couple of football ... "
Communicate these two totally different nature of tennis, according to a Belgian, has helped them significantly improve the results. Kim borrowed from Lleyton his temperament and courage on the court, and he learns from friends to control their emotions: "Kim helped me to relax and stay calm in the most difficult situations".
It Klitsters, like a proud boyfriend later admitted, had advised him before the finals U.S. Open: "You just go to court and get pleasure from tennis". As a result, a lot of critical experiences and a great satisfaction from the bright Australian games were still millions of fans.

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