QUOTE
What Ferrero Said: "He's been able to prepare better than anyone else. (The time off) is a luxury and he did come stronger in the fourth and fifth sets - he played better than me. You have to consider also that I have been sick, I haven't been that well, but I do assert that I gave 100 per cent. I have tried and I think I did well,"
ARTICLE Grass blunts Ferrero's forehand weapon
MELBOURNE, Australia, (AFP) - The low-bouncing portable grasscourt disarmed Spanish world No.3 Juan Carlos Ferrero's fearsome forehand during his Davis Cup tennis final dog fight with Lleyton Hewitt here.
Hewitt, whose last match was on September 21 in the last Davis Cup tie here, finished powerfully to wear down Ferrero, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2 in three hours 49 minutes on the revolutionary grass court.
In the five sets Ferrero only came up with nine forehand winners, well down on his usual quota in a match.
Ferrero said with the ball bouncing lower on the grass surface he found it considerably different to playing on a hardcourt.
"The ball was bouncing in a funny way," he said. "There were holes or uneven levels on the surface and it was rather dry.
"You can't come up with as many winners because on the hard ground the ball bounces faster and so on and it's a different game."
ARTICLE Australia take early lead
Lleyton Hewitt bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-6 6-2
Lleyton Hewitt twice came from a set behind for a breathtaking five-set win over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero to move Australia into a 1-0 lead over Spain in the Davis Cup final.
Hewitt, who had not played a competitive match for two months, struggled with his form in the early part of a topsy-turvy contest
And his array of unforced errors seemingly paved the way for a comfortable victory for Ferrero, who moved two sets to one clear.
But the Spaniard, who had bounced back from a break down in the fourth set, lost his nerve in the tie-break and Hewitt seized his chance, winning it to love.
From there, Ferrero's challenge faltered as a pumped-up Hewitt played up to the crowd with an inspired selection of ground strokes after four hours of play.
Afterwards Hewitt said: "It's good to come out with a win. It was a tough match.
"Ferrero is one of the best players in the world and I gave everything I had in the tank. I played a flawless tie-break and then my best tennis of the match in the fifth set."
World number three Ferrero initially looked the more at ease on the grass surface laid for the final in Melbourne as he won the first set 6-3 in 39 minutes.
Although Hewitt had yet to find his range, he managed to level the scores in the second set, having broken Ferrero's serve in the eighth game.
But a brief lapse of concentration allowed Ferrero to pull clear once more, breaking Hewitt to go 4-2 clear and shortly afterwards wrap up the set.
As Hewitt lifted the tempo of his game, his Spanish opponent struggled to keep in the contest, just managing to take the fourth set to a tie-break.
But after losing his opening two serves, he was never in contention as the remainder of the fourth and subsequently fifth sets became increasingly one-sided.
The build-up to the opening rubber was marred when the Republican anthem "Himno de Riego" was played rather than the Spanish national anthem.
Initially Spanish secretary of sport Juan Antonio-Angulo initially refused to let the Spanish players start the final until an apology was made, which was eventually given by Australian captain John Fitzgerald.
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Though JC lost he really did put up an amazing fight. Hope he isn't too down and that he's ready to battle Sunday!! ^^
What Ferrero Said: "He's been able to prepare better than anyone else. (The time off) is a luxury and he did come stronger in the fourth and fifth sets - he played better than me. You have to consider also that I have been sick, I haven't been that well, but I do assert that I gave 100 per cent. I have tried and I think I did well,"
ARTICLE Grass blunts Ferrero's forehand weapon
MELBOURNE, Australia, (AFP) - The low-bouncing portable grasscourt disarmed Spanish world No.3 Juan Carlos Ferrero's fearsome forehand during his Davis Cup tennis final dog fight with Lleyton Hewitt here.
Hewitt, whose last match was on September 21 in the last Davis Cup tie here, finished powerfully to wear down Ferrero, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2 in three hours 49 minutes on the revolutionary grass court.
In the five sets Ferrero only came up with nine forehand winners, well down on his usual quota in a match.
Ferrero said with the ball bouncing lower on the grass surface he found it considerably different to playing on a hardcourt.
"The ball was bouncing in a funny way," he said. "There were holes or uneven levels on the surface and it was rather dry.
"You can't come up with as many winners because on the hard ground the ball bounces faster and so on and it's a different game."
ARTICLE Australia take early lead
Lleyton Hewitt bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-6 6-2
Lleyton Hewitt twice came from a set behind for a breathtaking five-set win over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero to move Australia into a 1-0 lead over Spain in the Davis Cup final.
Hewitt, who had not played a competitive match for two months, struggled with his form in the early part of a topsy-turvy contest
And his array of unforced errors seemingly paved the way for a comfortable victory for Ferrero, who moved two sets to one clear.
But the Spaniard, who had bounced back from a break down in the fourth set, lost his nerve in the tie-break and Hewitt seized his chance, winning it to love.
From there, Ferrero's challenge faltered as a pumped-up Hewitt played up to the crowd with an inspired selection of ground strokes after four hours of play.
Afterwards Hewitt said: "It's good to come out with a win. It was a tough match.
"Ferrero is one of the best players in the world and I gave everything I had in the tank. I played a flawless tie-break and then my best tennis of the match in the fifth set."
World number three Ferrero initially looked the more at ease on the grass surface laid for the final in Melbourne as he won the first set 6-3 in 39 minutes.
Although Hewitt had yet to find his range, he managed to level the scores in the second set, having broken Ferrero's serve in the eighth game.
But a brief lapse of concentration allowed Ferrero to pull clear once more, breaking Hewitt to go 4-2 clear and shortly afterwards wrap up the set.
As Hewitt lifted the tempo of his game, his Spanish opponent struggled to keep in the contest, just managing to take the fourth set to a tie-break.
But after losing his opening two serves, he was never in contention as the remainder of the fourth and subsequently fifth sets became increasingly one-sided.
The build-up to the opening rubber was marred when the Republican anthem "Himno de Riego" was played rather than the Spanish national anthem.
Initially Spanish secretary of sport Juan Antonio-Angulo initially refused to let the Spanish players start the final until an apology was made, which was eventually given by Australian captain John Fitzgerald.
---
Though JC lost he really did put up an amazing fight. Hope he isn't too down and that he's ready to battle Sunday!! ^^
