Lleyton Hewitt wins Gerry Weber final

Hewitt wins Gerry Weber final

HALLE, Germany (AP)—Lleyton Hewitt upset Roger Federer for the first time in 16 matches to win the Gerry Weber Open title on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Australian won 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 in his first final of the season. Hewitt last beat Federer in 2003.

“It’s fantastic,” Hewitt said. “Roger is a hell of an opponent and everybody knows how good he is on the grass court. His record speaks for itself.”

Top-seeded Federer, who was chasing his sixth title in Halle, had won his previous 29 matches at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament. It was Hewitt’s first appearance at Germany’s only grass court tournament.

After cruising through the previous four rounds without dropping a single set, Federer met his match in the challenge between two former No. 1s.

The Swiss started strongly and earned two breaks on Hewitt’s first service game and appeared set to make light work of his sixth Halle final, taking the first set 6-3.

But Hewitt broke early in the second set, confirming he was willing to make a fight of it.

Federer broke back immediately and the game followed serve. Hewitt won the tiebreaker, converting his fourth set point to level the match and becoming the first player to take a set off Federer in Halle since 2006.

The final set belonged to the Australian, who broke again in Federer’s first service game. Hewitt took his first match point with a bit of luck as the ball clipped the top of the net to end Federer’s domination in Halle.

“Roger is a great player and a great champion and every time you step on court against him, you are the underdog on every surface,” Hewitt said. “(But) it doesn’t matter how big a favorite you are. He still only has two arms and two legs.”

Federer will return to Switzerland for a few days before going after a seventh title at Wimbledon, which starts June 21.

Federer said he remained confident.

“I was unfortunate not to come through today, but the loss here does not worry me in any way,” Federer said. “I thought it was a good tournament for me. I have got to ensure I draw the right conclusions for Wimbledon.”

ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY!!
When Federer loses to Hewitt....the Great One is in trouble!! Leyton has not sniffed a game off of Roger in many years, let alone to beat him in a final!!
Roger is definetly losing his once well known dominance on the court. He is not serving as well and he is making way too many errors.
Yes he will get serious at Wimbledon, but so will his number one enemy, RAFA. I do not believe Roger can beat TODAY'S RAFA on any surface any where at any time..heads up. Rafa is just playing too well and with more passion - will to win etc. Roger has lost the passion that he once had....maybe he is bored....too much money.....kids ..whatever.
The once invincible Roger Federer , at least for now, has left the building!!

Letterman's Top 10 Reasons Federer lost to Hewitt at Gerry Weber Final.

10. It is not a major.
9. Less pressure as favorite at Wimby.
8. The grass was wet.
7. It's only a warm-up.
6. He wanted Hewiit to finally feel like a man.
5. He skipped breakfast.
4. The balls are heavier.
3. The grass plays like clay pottery.
2. Hewitt never had kids.
1. It was a Federer clone we saw, he was reported seen on the beaches of Aruba during the match.

Unfortunately, I think this is the beginning of the end for Federer and with Wimbledon now playing like clay, there is virtually no chance of Federer making it to the quarter finals and Nadal, as much as I hate t say it, should be the odds on favorite to win. Federer has not won a single tournament for about 6 months and cannot beat anyone in the top 10 consistently any more and frankly is losing to idlers and beginners for the first time ever. As a person who has never given up on Federer, the childish head games he tries to play in the press, his crying, flayling so many balls off the court and into the stands over the last 4 years, crying is indicative of a guy who cannot get motivated to play any longer. Federer's longevity is due to how great he was earlier and in being so great, how long a player can stay there without trying to improve and having his play decline by 10%. He only regained #1 after Nadal got injured. That is clear now. Federer continues to play around his backhand and does not try to improve it. He use to have a ton of techniques and shots in his tool kit, like off speed shots that were key to his winning and I just don't see him trying to use that any more. Federer is making more mistakes because without those shots, his game has changed and he cannot win and set up those key points. Federer actually looks a lot worse now than the French. In the future I see Federer free falling in the rankings and in two years struggling to stay within the top 10 or 15.

Federer refuses to work on improving the power and precision of his backhand. And the Federer of 4 years ago would still be #1. He is not improving or practicing with the same joy and love for the sport he once had. Now that he is married and has children, I don't see the pattern changing.

Tough luck for Fed but I'm happy for Hewitt. He finally managed to beat Federer on grass. I should give it up to him for toughing it through his various injuries and keeping the love for the game alive. This win shows that you will not find another guy who loves tennis as much as Hewitt does. He's been soldering on for the sheer love of the game (and some wallet gains of course, but he could've gone the same route as Safin). Good on ya, mate!!
Federer clearly is not the same since marriage. As a married man with kids myself, I kinda know that feeling. I still remember before marriage, at the humble level that I played tennis at, that I could summon all my focus and fighting spirit at any point I wanted. Since I had kids though, I just did not have enough balance at all with my game, as there were too many other things on my mind. Same with a lot of friends around who were really good. But, like Agassi, if he can see though 1 or 2 yrs of adjustment, he'll find a new balance and calm which will help his game - and he really needs his balace for his unbelievably balanced game. Good luck Roger!
A little off topic now, but watch out for Sam Querrey in Wimby. I took a picture with this guy and Isner, and they are the nicest kids out there. Just because he said he wants to go home after a 1st round loss in FO doesn't have to make him a villain in your script. This guy, along with Hewitt, is the big dark horse at Wimby, unless he loses his cool again. I actually prefer a frank "I'm burned out" to the perfunctory "he played well, I had a bad day" drivel.