Lleyton Hewitt aims to shoot down Roger Federer’s reputation as the world’s greatest player in Friday’s Wimbledon semi-final showdown using ammunition supplied by the All England Club.
The Australian, the champion in 2002, is furious that he was seeded at three instead of two which would have been in line with his world ranking.
Instead, that honour was handed to America’s Andy Roddick, the 2004 runner-up, who faces Swedish 12th seed Thomas Johansson in the other semi-final.
”It’s a bit strange that the world number one and number two are playing in the semi-finals,” said Hewitt.
”I would definitely like it to have been the final. If you knock out the best player, then you will have plenty of confidence going into the final on Sunday.
”It’s a strange situation. I don’t know how many times it would have happened that the two top ranked players would be playing in the semi-final of a Grand Slam.”
On paper, Hewitt has a much stiffer test than Roddick.
The 24-year-old Australian has lost his last seven matches against Federer with his last win coming in the Davis Cup semi-finals two years ago, coming back from two sets down.
Since then, it has been all Federer.
The Swiss number one defeated Hewitt in the quarter-finals here in 2004 and has also got the better of him in the finals at the US Open, the Masters Cup and Indian Wells without dropping a set.
”I’m not sure what the key will be against Roger,” said Hewitt.
”I haven’t won the last few, so I will have to try and find something extra in the next couple of days. He’s the best player in the world for a reason and has taken the game to another level.
”I’ve been losing to him in the last two years when he has dominated everybody else. He’s pretty confident on Centre Court which he has made his own.”
While Hewitt was seeing off Spanish serve-and-volleyer Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) to reach his second Wimbledon semi-final, Federer was defeating the big-hitting Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) to record his 34th successive win on grass.
The world number one has not lost on the surface since a first round defeat to Mario Ancic here in 2002; in that time, he has collected two Wimbledon titles as well as a hat-trick of wins in Halle.
But despite his record against the Australian, Federer is cautious.
His last win in Indian Wells in April came when Hewitt was nursing a toe injury which needed surgery and kept him off the tour for the entire clay court season.
Curiously, the Swiss prefers to remember that 2003 Davis Cup defeat in Melbourne as a turning point.
”I was two sets up and serving for the match, then he fought back. Although that was a killer for me, it still gave me a lot of confidence knowing that against Lleyton I could actually get my act together for three or even more sets.
”I think that’s why I could turn the series around,” said Federer.
Roddick, playing in his third successive semi-final, struggled into the last four beating France’s Sebastien Grosjean 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 but will start against the 30-year-old Johansson as favourite, having won both of their previous meetings.
Former Australian Open winner Johansson, the first Swede since Stefan Edberg 12 years ago to make the last four, is enjoying something of a revival after missing the entire 2003 campaign because of knee surgery.
”He’s a tough player, he serves well, returns well, he’s a complete player,” said Roddick.
”He doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. We’ve never played in the semis of a Grand Slam so it will be a totally different match than before.”
Johansson insists he is getting back to his best after the misery of 2003.
”In Australia three years ago, I was playing the best tennis of my life and at the moment, I’m playing as good as I can,” he said.
”Fitness-wise I’m a lot stronger because I had a lot of time to work on my fitness. On court, I never really feel tired.”-Sapa-AFP