( Sorry I am from the old school of tennis where when an opponent made an error, well you simply smiled inside and looked to the scoreboard ).
I especially despised the way Hewitt took the Swedish sign (which was 'invented' by Niclas Kroon called the 'vicht' or 'for sure' ) and turned it into something called 'C'mon' and even put a patent on it for Business purposes .
I would go as far as to call that 'parasitic behaviour'.
Mats Wilander won seven Grand Slams, I first saw Mats use the 'vicht' against Ivan Lendl in the 1987 US Open Mens Singles Final. I thought it was unusual for a guy as cool as Mats to show any emotion whatsoever let alone a hand signal that the Tennis World had rarely seen before.
Did I mention that Mats was a good buddy of Niclas Kroon and used the hand signal with Kroon's blessing ?
Sorry if I didn't.
By the way , Hewitt was around 6 years of age when Wilander started using that hand signal.
Back to Lleyton.
I found Hewitt's on court behaviour nothing short of disrespectful to the sport of tennis yet he is still up to his old tricks even now days as Australian Davis Cup Captain.
It was one thing to not acknowledge part of World Tennis history in the Kroon/ Wilander 'vicht', it is another to not acknowledge coaches who make life easy for 'Coaches' who step into a job without so much as anything to do with a player's development.
Take the Davis Cup Captaincy for example.
I read just recently on the ATP site an article and video in relation to Alex De Minaur's rise to stardom over the past 12 months, yet no word of his actual Coach, Adolfo Guiterrez who has actually done the work with young Alex over the past ten or so years.
The video was all about Aussie Davis Cup Captain Hewitt talking about Alex and how he could improve a few things.
Sure Lleyton, we all could improve a few things in all of our own lives but how about you improve how you should acknowledge the fact that you have been 'given' World class tennis players to play for Australia, all you have to do is slot them into 'some sort' of order.
You have ONE job.
Haven't heard one word from Lleyton that his job has been made easy by the hard work of the coaches who have developed the players, not sure why not, it may show 'humbleness', that'd be a first Lleyton.
The Davis Cup semi final of 2017 against Belgium was possibly the worst display of team management by a Davis Cup Captain yet Lleyton answers to no one.
It is still a mystery as to why John Millman did not play again that Tie after his epic opening match against perennial World Top Tenner David Goffin in which Millman stretched his more fancied rival to the absolute limit in a 4 set epic match.
For reasons not known to anyone but himself Hewitt threw in a last minute change with Jordan Thompson to play the final deciding match against Steven Darcis, a disaster. Millman would have won with a leg in the air, no risk, tired or otherwise.
Jonny M would have been way too steady.
For the record, Thompson didn't win a set.
For the record Lleyton played doubles with Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International a few months later.
Interesting.
“Everyone gave 100 per cent. We left it all out there. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Hewitt said after the tie.
How about the obvious Lleyton ?
Sorry guys I f..... up.
Lleyton Hewitt cost Australia the 2017 Davis Cup Semi Final, no doubt about it yet no apologies, no taking the blame, no nothing from a guy who will forever be involved with Tennis in the land of Oz due to a larger than life profile due to his arrogance and a hand signal who he 'borrowed ' from someone else.
Did I mention Hewitt answers to no one ?
In fact Lleyton Hewitt has an 'open cheque book' in the Land of Oz as far as anything is concerned in the sport of tennis.
Just wondering why Lleyton Hewitt is still allowed to turn up at tennis tournaments and take the spot of a player who could do with the points and the prize money while his own Bank Account surely wouldn't notice the extra figures.
Or is it simply the ego craving the spotlight once again ?
Jonny Farnham and Lleyton Hewitt are on a personal quest to make the most comebacks in a single life time that the great Bjorn Borg did just once after ten years of retirement.
The difference between Borg, Farnham and Hewitt is rather obvious, Borg waited a 'little ' longer to get itchy feet, the other two waited 5 minutes...…..
Aussie Summer of Tennis on it's way folks, it's Lleyton time, personally I can't f..... wait...…..
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