Tough for Nadal to top Federer: Hewitt

SINGAPORE — In close to two decades of professional tennis, world No 2 Roger Federer, 33, has won a record 17 Grand Slams that will be tough for Rafael Nadal, who needs three more to equal the feat, to surpass, said Aussie Lleyton Hewitt.

Although Nadal, 28, has a few more years of top tennis, the world No 3’s biggest obstacle, added Hewitt, winner of the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon, is the many injuries he sustained during his 14-year professional career.

In Singapore as the ambassador of multivitamin producers Swisse, Hewitt said Nadal’s other drawback is his inability to be as strong on other surfaces as he is on clay against the current crop of top players.

“On clay, he is really going to be tough to beat for a while but on the other courts (Andy) Murray, (Novak) Djokovic are capable of winning Grand Slams, too,” Hewitt told TODAY at the Australian High Commissioner’s residence yesterday. “His body is the one thing that could let him down because of the injuries.”

Hewitt began his professional at the same time as Federer in 1998 and was the youngest player to be ranked No 1 when he was only 20.

But while his Swiss counterpart isn’t calling quits just yet, the 34-year-old Aussie will hang up his tennis racquet after the 2016 Australian Open.

Age and crowded annual fixtures, which lists 64 Association of Tennis Professionals tournaments in 2015, are factors that nudged Hewitt into retirement.

Added the double Grand Slam winner: “It can be tough and I think players at some stage would have had to sacrifice tournaments to prolong their careers and I think Federer has done that pretty well.

“When I started on tour 20 years back, I was talking about the same thing (overcrowded fixtures) and not a whole lot has changed.

“I think the biggest thing is for a player to pick their schedule when they need breaks so that they can take breaks in order to prevent injuries.”

At the launch event for Swisse, Hewitt had a sparring session with members of Singapore’s South-east Asian Games tennis team and he encouraged them to give their all to win medals.

“You always have to follow your dreams and give your 100 per cent, not only in the court but also in practice as well.” Shanjayan Muniappan