It was way past midnight when the spectators at the beautiful Rod Laver Arena really believed it could happen: That Lleyton "Rusty" Hewitt", a former World No.1 and Grand Slam Champ, could turn this whole match around against the best player on the planet, Novak Djokovic.
Rusty had just won the third set (6-4 after being 0-3 down) with a fantastic display of pure will, self-belief and class, and at that certain moment, way past midnight, he had the chance to break Novak's serve. The chance to continue the amazing turnaround. The chance to lead 2-1 and take the match into a deciding fifth set.
What followed was another wonderful rally, with Novak sending the aging Hewitt from left to right, but the balls kept coming back. It was finally the magic match the Australian crowd was waiting for all week long. The perfect moment. And when Hewitt played a very low backhand slice, luring Djokovic to the net, EVERYONE in the Arena stopped breathing for a moment.
Until Novak hit the magic shot.Despite the pressure, despite a minimal loss of confidence, Novak replied to Hewitt's slice with a perfect crosscourt forehand into the deep corner. Hewitt tried to get to the ball but found himself on the floor. Novak hit the perfect ball at the perfect moment. He then won his service game, broke Hewitt, and the match was over.
After the match, Hewitt received much praise for his performance, and rightly so. After losing 2 sets and conceding another break in the 3rd, no one expected Hewitt to stage a comeback against the "Djoker". But he couldn't let imself or his local crowd down. He completely ignored the pain he was putting his body through and kept on fighting, cementing his legacy as one of Australia's major sports heroes.
As for Novak, he maybe had a little lapse in concentration (coinciding with a 2-minute bird invasion in the stadium), but he stayed as cool as anyone could be, and in the end, his excellence prevailed. The match, starting in the third set, was a masterpiece in many aspects, and anyone who was there must consider it a privilege.
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Great news for the men's game: For the first time ever, a Japanese player has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. That is fantastic, because the men's circuit has been dominated by Europeans for too long now. It is time for other regions of the world to have a say in the big tournaments. Kei Nishikori is no Grand Slam winner, but with his talent he should absolutely be able to cause a few surprises along the way in 2012 and beyond.
On the other side, it was disapppointing to see JW Tsonga lose to the Nish. The Frenchman won the first set easily but then disappeared. He, together with Del Potro, is the only one who really can challenge the big Four. but that can't happen as long as he allows himself to play it cool and relax in certain moments of the match.
It's quarterfinal time now and there are big matches coming up on RL Arena. How i wish I could be there...
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