Hewitt reacts during his fourth round match against Mikhail Youzhny on September 3. Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Drug testers swooped on Lleyton Hewitt in the players’ tunnel of Louis Armstrong Stadium after his gut-wrenching loss at the US Open.
Hewitt was in an emotional state when he was interrupted by WADA officials in the aftermath to one of the most difficult losses of his career.
Away from TV cameras, Hewitt had tears in his eyes after blowing two commanding leads against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny.
Desperate to flee Flushing Meadows ASAP, reeling from his 6-3 3-6 6-7 6-4 7-5 heartbreaker, Hewitt had to provide his samples for WADA before gaining permission to leave the precinct.
This one hurt. Hewitt led 4-1 in the fourth set. He was home and hosed. He led 5-2 in the fifth set. Home again, hosed again.
He reverted to unthreatening baseline rallies and Youzhny pounced, swinging for the fences and connecting.
In an excruciatingly tense finale, with a blockbuster quarter-final against Novak Djokovic on the radar, Hewitt wanted it so badly that he wanted it too much.
He squandered the last five games. The opportunity might never present itself again.
“One of the hardest games to win is the last one,” he deadpanned. “It’s a game of inches out there, really. Every loss still hurts.” – The Australian
For more US Open news, click here.
For more breaking sporting news and views, visit MySport24 on Twitter and Facebook.
