LONDON: With his Wimbledon over and the US Open less than two months away, Lleyton Hewitt is determined to find a solution to the left hip tear problem that has compromised his season - even if it means missing several months through a possible operation.
The Australian is hoping a few weeks of rest will be the cure, but nothing is certain for the 2002 Wimbledon champion, beaten in the fourth round by Roger Federer.
"We'll work out what is going to be the best option. In an ideal world, a couple of weeks rest would do the trick, and he could play in Toronto and Cincinnati," said Hewitt's management.
The 27-year-old is keen to participate in the Beijing Olympics as well as become a more regular presence on the ATP. Any surgery would mean a two-month minimum pause.
Federer suggests that Hewitt might be a spent force if he doesn't find his fitness: "I don't think he cares that much about his ranking any more. I think he has the potential, obviously, to be top 10, top 5.
"I think if he would play 25 tournaments a year and be on top of his game, yes, he has absolutely the chance to be at the top.
"But he unfortunately doesn't. For this reason it's probably not the rankings but tournaments. I feel bad for him that he's injured, that he has so many injury problems," Federer said.
