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Aussie Lleyton Hewitt will need to play his best tennis if he is to upset world no.5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round of Wimbledon. Join us for live scores and commentary from 11:00pm AEST.
Since making the fourth round of the 2012 Australian Open, Hewitt has only played four matches in the lead-up to the Wimbledon championships after undergoing surgery to have a plate inserted in his toe.
His recent defeats came in the opening rounds of the French Open and the Queen’s Club Championships, losing to Blaz Kavcic and Ivo Karlovic respectively.
Despite his lack of match play, Hewitt is still one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the men’s draw at Wimbledon and has the potential to cause Tsonga problems tonight.
Unlike Hewitt, Tsonga comes into Wimbledon on the back of a strong showing at the French Open, where he made the quarter-finals before succumbing to Novak Djokovic in an epic five setter.
Tsonga also made the semi-finals of Wimbledon last year, becoming the first man to defeat Roger Federer at Grand Slam level from two sets to love down.
Such a result speaks volumes of Tsonga’s ability on grass, but it will be interesting to see how the Frenchman handles playing against a seasoned professional such as Hewitt in the opening round of a Grand Slam.
Prediction
This promises to be an interesting encounter between two players with vastly different styles of play.
Tsonga’s game is all about power, with the Frenchman possessing a lethal serve and forehand combination that can penetrate the defence of any player on the ATP tour.
Hewitt meanwhile relies heavily on his ability to play extended rallies. At his best, Hewitt is one of the best counterpunchers on the ATP tour and will look to frustrate Tsonga into error by getting every ball back into play.
Despite his high ranking, there are still question marks hanging around Tsonga’s mental strength, particularly during the early rounds of a grand slam.
If Hewitt can return serve well and keep the ball in play, Tsonga is very capable of losing his way very quickly by playing high risk shots that will lead to plenty of unforced errors from his racquet.
Tsonga has already been guilty of losing his way at a Grand Slam this season, losing to Kei Nishikori at the Australian Open this year due to his inability to play intelligent tennis when the opponent was returning well.
Despite the gap in the rankings between Tsonga and Hewitt, this promises to be one of the most evenly contested first round match-ups at Wimbledon this week.
Given the recent surgery on his toe, it will be interesting to see how well Hewitt is able to move if this match ends up going the distance.
While there is no doubt that Hewitt will cause Tsonga problems tonight, the Australian’s lack of match play could once again work against him here in a tight contest.
Tsonga to win in 5 sets