AUSTRALIA: TENNIS - Lleyton Hewitt splits with coach ahead of Australian Open

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt has been left in the lurch just a week before the Australian Open after his coach quit on Friday (January 5). The two were seen only days before training together for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. In another setback to his Australian Open preparations, Hewitt also pulled out of a warm-up tournament in Sydney, the Sydney International, citing a calf injury. Hewitt told organisers he was withdrawing just hours after splitting with his coach Roger Rasheed, who released a statement saying he was quitting because he could not work with the former world number one "within the current environment." A long-term friend, Rasheed walked out on the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion saying he could see no way of achieving the results the pair were looking for. The news could barely have come at a worse time for Hewitt, just a day after losing in his home-town tournament in Adelaide to world number 94 Igor Kunitsyn and just over a week before the grand slam tournament he covets most. Hewitt's regular sparring partner, James Blake, said his split with Rasheed would not be a setback to Hewitt's game. "For one tournament he knows how to play tennis, he's not going to forget how to hit the ball in one week", he said. Meanwhile one of Hewitt's Australian Open rivals, Marcos Baghdatis, arrived in Sydney ahead of the tournament. Cypriot Baghdatis narrowly lost the Australian Open title to Roger Federer in 2005. Baghdatis said that despite Hewitt's problems, he would have an advantage playing at home. "Lleyton in Sydney is very tough, and he's playing at home so it makes it a bit easier", he said. Hewitt, who had previously been coached by Australians Darren Cahill and Jason Stoltenberg, ended 2006 with a world ranking of 20 after a year that saw him secure just one title, at London's Queen's Club in June. Rasheed insisted Hewitt was capable of reaching the game's heights once again but only with a change to his coaching set-up. Hewitt, 25, is currently ranked 20th in the world and has not won a grand slam title since in four and a half years. He has made no secret of his burning desire to win the Australian Open but the closest he came was two years ago when he lost in the final to Marat Safin.

ITN Source | January 7, 2007

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