Tennis: Hewitt on verge of fulfilling lifelong dream

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt celebrates victory over Andy Roddick of the US during the Australian Open semi-final in Melbourne. Picture / Reuters

MELBOURNE - Lleyton Hewitt has been dreaming about winning the Australian Open since he was a small child and now he's got the chance after beating Andy Roddick 3-6 7-6 7-6 6-1 in the semi-finals on Friday.

Hewitt has already won the Wimbledon and US Open titles but the 24-year-old has always wanted to win his home grand slam more than anything else.

The world number three wasn't even born when Mark Edmondson -- the last Australian to win the championship -- beat John Newcombe in the 1976 final but he did see Pat Cash make the final in 1988.

Hewitt was just seven at the time but he decided then to dedicate his life to going one step further than his childhood hero by winning the title.

"The Australian Open obviously means a lot to me. I think everyone knows how much I love playing here in Melbourne," Hewitt said.

"I have some memories of going out to Court 1 out there and watching (Ivan) Lendl and (Tony Roche) Rochey train early mornings out there.

"I used to go to a lot of Pat Cash's matches, Mats Wilander, they were my favorite players. Yeah, I saw a lot of tennis here."

Hewitt's parents used to take their son from their Adelaide home to Melbourne every year to watch the Open but he paid his own way in 1997 at the age of 15 when he became the youngest player ever to qualify for the tournament.

It wasn't the start he wanted. He was knocked out in the first round and his luck hardly improved the older he got.

Despite winning the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon a year later and becoming the youngest man in history to finish the year ranked one in the world, Hewitt's record in Melbourne made dismal reading and he failed to make it past the fourth round in his first eight attempts.

That was until this year. With the championship celebrating its centenary anniversary, Hewitt decided he would devote every ounce of energy he had to winning it.

While many of the players took a break after last year's Masters Cup, Hewitt went straight to work, pumping iron and clocking up the miles in the hot Australian summer to get himself in the best possible shape. Even on Christmas day, he went for a 10 kilometre run.

"I know all the preparation that I have done for a long time to come into this tournament," he said.

"I would have given anything to be in this position, to have an opportunity to play one match for the title here in Melbourne.

"Now part of that dream's come true. I've put myself in a position to have a crack at it."

Hewitt's preparations have been timed to the minute. He was knocked out early in the Australian hardcourt championships in Adelaide in the first week of January but began to find form by winning a lead-up tournament in Sydney.

His form continued in Melbourne when he won his first three matches comfortably but he almost came unstuck in the next two rounds when he was taken to five sets by Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal, then Argentine baseliner David Nalbandian.

It was then that Hewitt's hard work paid off. Riding a wave of patriotism fuelled by his never-say-die attitude, he managed to win both matches, then succeeded in blunting the world's fastest serve to beat Roddick and join Russian Marat Safin in the final.

"It's awesome. This started six months ago, maybe nine months ago that I started preparing for this tournament," Hewitt said.

"I put in the hard yards. I always said I'd do anything to play in the first night final in Australian Open men's history and I've got my chance."

Hewitt's golden run this year has already raised expectations about his prospects of winning the title but he says he's keeping his feet on the ground, particularly after Safin slayed the seemingly invincible Roger Federer.

"I don't think expectation has ever worried me too much. I got thrown into the spotlight at a pretty young age and I think I've been able to handle it pretty well," Hewitt said.

"Obviously Marat's beaten the best player going around. He's obviously playing extremely well so I'm going to have to raise my game again, go out there and give it everything.

"I've hit enough balls. I've done all the hard work to get here. It's just about getting ready physically and mentally for Sunday now."

- REUTERS