TNT Sports
Hewitt: I had to dig deep
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Published 26/01/2005 at 18:12 GMT
Lleyton Hewitt believes mental toughness was the key to his stirring five-set win over David Nalbandian in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday. "I just had to dig deep in the fifth set, and yet again the never-say-die attitude came out," Hewit
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The local favourite had looked in trouble when Nalbandian recovered from losing the first two sets to force the match into a fifth and deciding set.
The momentum was with the Argentine and Hewitt, who had gone the full distance in his previous match with Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal, was struggling with a hip injury.
But the number three seed overcame his tiredness to clinch a 6-3 6-2 1-6 3-6 10-8 victory that delighted the home fans.
"Yet again I was able to come through in the clutch situations, such as the match against Nadal the other day," said Hewitt.
"In the end I just played some of the bigger points a little bit better."
Hewitt said that although he was physically tired in the fifth set he was still able to draw on all his reserves of stamina and courage to wear down the Argentine.
MENTALLY TOUGH
"I think I'm as mentally tough as anyone out there and I think I've won a lot of matches in the past because of that."
"Whether I'm the best at that, I don't know. I'm sure there are a few other guys but I think mentally I go out there with a pretty good attitude," added Hewitt. "If I lose and I know I've given a hundred percent, there's not a whole heap I can do about it.
"I can at least walk off with my head held high. Even if I went down tonight, I gave everything I had out there."
Hewitt, who plays second seed Andy Roddick in Friday's semi-finals, said he was frustrated by a series of poor line calls that marred the match but had managed to ignore them.
He also played down any hint of animosity between him and Nalbandian despite several on-court clashes.
Nalbandian appeared upset by something Hewitt said to him at the end of the match and Hewitt also seemed to brush Nalbandian with his shoulder at one change of ends in the second set.
"I think he brought it on himself a little bit," Hewitt said. "He sort of propped and waited for a bit of a shoulder."
Hewitt has spent almost 15 hours on court and faces an even tougher assignment next when he locks horns with American world number two Roddick but he says he's not worried.
"I'll be ready to go," Hewitt said.
"I'm definitely giving the crowds their money's worth. I'm doing all the right things for the tournament. It was just a battle and I had to hang in there.
"It wasn't easy always being down in the fifth set. It was more a mental battle than anything. It [the victory] couldn't have come quick enough but I was going to be out there as long as it took."
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