SYDNEY: Whether as a cartoon superhero or a fist-pumping baseline battler, Lleyton Hewitt could never be accused of lacking the heart for a fight.

Local tennis fans hope the tenacious Hewitt is at his combative best when he carries their hopes into the Australian Open, which starts on Monday at Melbourne Park.

Former world No 1, Davis Cup hero, Wimbledon and US Open champion "Hewitt has given his legion of admirers plenty to savour over the past couple of years.

All, that is, except for a Grand Slam title on home soil. Australian fans have become accustomed to tennis success, but strangely have been waiting for more than a quarter of a century to celebrate a local champion at the Open.

Australia has been without a home-grown men's champion since big Mark Edmondson upset compatriot John Newcombe in 1976.

Davis Cup teammates past and present like Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis have all been unable to live up to the weight of local expectations but Hewitt, typically, appears to thrive on the pressure rather than shrink from it.

"There's always pressure and expectation coming into the national title when, realistically we've probably only got two main guys who are contenders, Flip (Philippoussis) and myself,'' Hewitt said.

"I love playing in Melbourne. I love that arena and it's one of my favourite tournaments of the year...there's a big buzz leading into the tournament,'' the 22-year-old Australian said.

Hopes heightened

Hewitt's results in Melbourne have been mixed. He has never made it past the fourth round and crashed out in the first round in 2002 after a bout of chickenpox.

Local hopes have been heightened even further by Australia's stirring Davis Cup success last year.

Despite a relatively disappointing year on the men's tour, Hewitt scored important Davis Cup wins over Switzerland's Roger Federer in the September semi-final and then over Juan Carlos Ferrero when Australia thumped Spain 3-1 in the November final.

Those performances have raised local hopes even further and it is a burden Hewitt appears happy to bear, just as he was when he was the top seed in Melbourne the previous two years.

"It's great for tennis that I think the emotion is still there from the Davis Cup victories the last few times,'' he said in Sydney this week.

"That probably puts the same pressure on as being the No 1 seed the past two years,'' Hewitt said. "So I think tennis is on a bit of a high at the moment and I think they would like to see an Australian winner.''

Muscular superhero

There is no doubt what Open organizers see as their best way to sell the January 19-February 1 tournament to local fans.

Hewitt is portrayed on promotional material as a muscular superhero standing defiantly ahead of defending champion and four-time winner Andre Agassi.

The aggressive Adelaide tyro has packed more muscle on to his lean frame since tumbling from the No 1 spot last year but still has a long way to go to live up to his cartoon alter-ego.

Hewitt has gained "maybe four'' kilograms in weight over the past few months. The extra muscle will hopefully guide him past the power of world No 1 American Andy Roddick, sublime touch of Federer and Agassi's all-round brilliance "if he can safely negotiate his way through the early stages after being seeded 16th.

"I know how well I can play when I want to,'' Hewitt said during a warm-up tournament in Perth.

"And I have been training hard.''

Recent history offers mixed signals.

Davis Cup success aside, Hewitt is now ranked 15th in the world and has been without a Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2002.

(China Daily 01/16/2004 page15)