Hewitt: should he fire Roger Rasheed?

[Marius_Hancu]

I think he should fire Rasheed (his trainer, and for 2 years now, also his coach) for several reasons:

- he made him bulkier, perhaps to some advantage on serve, but definitely slower in terms of footwork, than 3 years ago, and that's the money making device for Hewitt

- he hasn't brought anything new to his game (certainly it's difficult at this level, but ...)

- worst of all, from the stands, his face, at critical moments, exudes fear (perhaps he's afraid of being fired ...), not confidence

 

[Moose Malloy]

Should fire the wife instead. Doubt he trained much at all recently with the baby, etc.

As far as what you say, Hewitt went from outside the top 10 back to top 2/3with Rasheed.

Bringing nothing new to his game? He a boring baseliner who's made a career of hitting every ball exactly the same a million times. He's not capable of doing anything different.

And so what if Rasheed exudes fear, have you seen Gilbert's expression when Agassi played Sampras & Roddick plays Federer? He looked like he was being audited.

Marius, didn't you think Hewitt declining was inevitable? Like Wilander & Courier he doesn't have much natural talent. He has to be 100% focused all the time to be where he is. You can't do that forever.

 

[gts072]

I knew having a baby, i.e., family will be his downfall. It’s almost always the case. Too many outside things to deal with. Look at what happened to Sampras, but alas he was past his prime towards the end whereas Hewitt is in “mid-career”.

 

[rafael]

Hewitt hasn't put on enough mass that he would be slower. My guess is he hasn't been as focused the last couple of months and this is the result.

 

[Jack the Hack]

In digging through some old draws for another thread, I ran across Roger Rasheed's name in the '92 Australian Open, where he was a wild card and won a round. It looks like his top ATP ranking was #192, so it looks like he was a player, but never experienced what it is like to win regularly on the tour or go deep into a Slam. That doesn't necessarily mean that he would be a bad coach, but may explain why he looks so uncomfortable on the sidelines. I also noticed that his is from Adelaide, which is Hewitt's hometown. I suspect that they were probably friends, or that Rasheed was one of Hewitt's hitting partners when he was growing up, so there is more of a connection there than the normal coach/player relationship. It is possible that Hewitt could gain more from a coach that had more playing experience, but (as others have said) I think his recent troubles are more related to his off-court distractions than bad coaching.

 

[legolas]

its not the coach's fault

 

[Yours!05]

In digging through some old draws for another thread, I ran across Roger Rasheed's name in the '92 Australian Open, where he was a wild card and won a round. It looks like his top ATP ranking was #192, so it looks like he was a player, but never experienced what it is like to win regularly on the tour or go deep into a Slam. That doesn't necessarily mean that he would be a bad coach, but may explain why he looks so uncomfortable on the sidelines. I also noticed that his is from Adelaide, which is Hewitt's hometown. I suspect that they were probably friends, or that Rasheed was one of Hewitt's hitting partners when he was growing up, so there is more of a connection there than the normal coach/player relationship. It is possible that Hewitt could gain more from a coach that had more playing experience, but (as others have said) I think his recent troubles are more related to his off-court distractions than bad coaching.

Unlike Cahill and Stoltenberg, Rasheed, who I think Hewitt met through his Aussie Rules Football Club, doesn't rock the family boat. He gets on with Hewitt's father. So far neither Stolts or Cahill have spoken about what went wrong, but my guess is the coach's role is to execute Glyn's plans. Rasheed and Hewitt are now, like, Best Friends too. Sometimes that can sideline the wife, so we'll see what happens .

 

[Cybele]

finally logging in from the blizzard-swept steppes of Central Anatolia, having missed most of the first week by moving to Ankara.....

have I missed much????

am gutted about Hewitt, I wanted him to win it.

 

[Yours!05]

Hi Cybele
Personally, I think he's "gone". A couple of years ago, he could force himself to be brave at crucial times, now the groundies land well into the Service Court until, well, something happens. Nothing to do with Bec. It's always been heading this way.

 

[Cybele]

not sure he's ever gotten over what Fed did to him at the USO in 2004. that was grim, being bagelled in a Grand Slam final.

I wouldn't write him off just yet, though he's a tough little b****r

 

[Don Felder]

Ridiculous. Hewitt has been awesome the last couple of years. This is clearly the pitfalls of marriage/fatherhood for an athlete. I think such a situation is *much* tougher on a tennis player because of both the length of the season and the extent/distance they travel around the world relative to many other sports. Not to mention it is only their match, they don't have teammates to hold them up if their game is off for whatever reason (baby kept them up all night maybe?). Hewitt just wasn't match-tough. Simple as that.

 

[35ft6]

- he made him bulkier, perhaps to some advantage on serve, but definitely slower in terms of footwork, than 3 years ago, and that's the money making device for Hewitt

All that muscle mass can't be good. Huge muscles is not where power in tennis comes from anyway. His speed's definitely been compromised. Bad move.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Expect Hewitt to send Rasheed packing with his camels:mrgreen:

 

[joe sch]

All that muscle mass can't be good. Huge muscles is not where power in tennis comes from anyway. His speed's definitely been compromised. Bad move.

True, the fact that Agassi is a freak of nature and power lifting worked for him, made alot of the tennis population think this type of training can benefit tennis players. I think Hewitt should do his best to optimize his speed and quickness. Hopefully Rasheed will adjust the training program ?

 

[Aonex]

Agree with what most have said here. It just might be he's burnt out, particularly from the time of game he plays. Perhaps he should take some time off and focus on his family and then come back when he's in the proper frame of mind.

 

[Ljubicic for number1]

It has nothing to do with the coach, the wife or Hewwitt himself its all the tournament organizers fault for making the courts to slow:mrgreen: :mrgreen: what a wanker.

Now to be honest the guy has no real weapon... the only reason he has been so successful over his career is the mental toughness and the amazing court speed, well in my eyes he is now losing both of them, he seemed to have fear in his eyes everytime he was put under pressure and reguarly double faulted or put balls half way up the net on big points, add to this he a steep or two slower and its a down hill slide for him.

Its a pity that Australia are so off the map with top class players now but Hewitt really is a embarrasment to this country anyway with his filthy antics and bad sportsmanship.

If only we had another Pat Rafter

 

[ACE of Hearts]

It would be a shame, i think the same might happen with Coria in the future.

 

[hoosierbr]

I think it's pretty well known that Hewitt's dad and Darren Cahill didn't get along very well, or at least see eye to eye. Not sure about Jason Stoltenberg but I'd guess it was about the same.

All Cahill has said about the matter is that he and Lleyton had gone about as far as they could together and it was time to part. More likely Darren had had enough of Glyns!

It's a disturbing trend in sports to blame the coach before the player. Hewitt, like just everyone else, has to deal with Roger Federer being around. That doesn't mean he isn't a top player. Although it would be nice to see him beat Roger again, just to make it interesting.

An interesting note: domineering fathers seem to never change their colors, even after the success of their sons with a coach. In interviews for his book, Mike Agassi talked about how he didn't think Brad Gilbert did anything to help Andre's serve and how he had recently said the same thing to Darren Cahill who, according to Agassi Sr., didn't take well to Mike's interference.

 

[BreakPoint]

- he made him bulkier, perhaps to some advantage on serve, but definitely slower in terms of footwork, than 3 years ago, and that's the money making device for Hewitt

Yeah, the same thing happened to Michael Chang. He hit the weights, bulked up, but lost some speed in the process.

I think for guys that play that grinding style of game (e.g., Hewitt, Chang, etc.), it's just very hard for them to maintain a very high level over a very long period of time. Their legs and bodies just eventually wear out, faster than other types or power players. There's no longevity in that brutal style of play. They have to fight hard and grind for every point, game, set, and match. Hard to keep that up for very long. Compare that to Roddick or Sampras who can just hit four huge serves to win a game, only swinging their arms four times in the process and without running as much as a step.

Just look at the long, grinding 5 set matches that Chang and Hewitt have played in their careers. The human body just can't take that kind of abuse for very long.

 

[West Coast Ace]

he made him bulkier, perhaps to some advantage on serve, but definitely slower in terms of footwork, than 3 years ago, and that's the money making device for Hewitt

Where do you guys live where someone like Hewitt would be considered 'bulky'? He'd be a pencil neck geek in most non-tennis sport circles. Did you see that Healy (sp?) playing Delic last night - he could rip Hewitt in half.

This has nothing to do with muscle - as others have said, he's been sidetracked with his new family and some minor illnesses. He'll work it out and be back. He didn't get the work in pre-AO and it showed. Not saying he'll be Top 5 but he'll definitely get back in the Top 10.

As far as Rasheed, I watched him hit with Hewitt at one of the practice courts at Indian Wells last March. I doubt too many people on this board could win more than a point or two off of him in a set, even at his age and with his 'bulky' shape. As long as he does what Team Hewitt wants him to, he should stay.

 

[Richard Fromberg]

It has nothing to do with the coach, the wife or Hewwitt himself its all the tournament organizers fault for making the courts to slow:mrgreen: :mrgreen: what a wanker.

Now to be honest the guy has no real weapon... the only reason he has been so successful over his career is the mental toughness and the amazing court speed, well in my eyes he is now losing both of them, he seemed to have fear in his eyes everytime he was put under pressure and reguarly double faulted or put balls half way up the net on big points, add to this he a steep or two slower and its a down hill slide for him.

Its a pity that Australia are so off the map with top class players now but Hewitt really is a embarrasment to this country anyway with his filthy antics and bad sportsmanship.

If only we had another Pat Rafter

I don't think he has bulked up at all - he is still only 67 kgs or something which is pretty light for a guy of 5 11.

Re the slow courts. You don't here Roger or Andy complaining and they surely prefer it faster.

I don't like Hewitt but admire his toughness. I think it is going toi get harder and harder for him to maintain the intensity he needs to stay on top without any big weapons.

 

[ShooterMcMarco]

its his racquet's fault. eversince he switched to that paintjob hes been losing.

 

[arosen]

yeah, I with shooter on this one, its the paintjob. Nothing wrong with Rasheed. Its the paint and the pain in the arse that is Beck Cartright.

 

[BabolatFan]

I don't know about firing Rasheed. Not that I give a rat's ass abt hewitt,but at the end of the day hewitt's the one to execute his game on the court, not his coach or mickey mouse. He should bang his head against something.

 

[hotdimsim]

Did you see that Healy (sp?) playing Delic last night - he could rip Hewitt in half.

Funny. Both Healy and Hewitt are from South Australia, trained together as juniors, both were orange boys for davis cup at the same time and regularely played dubs together as juniors. Good mates. Then Healy gets injured and Hewiit beats Agassi, and are now polar opposites.

i like Healy, and was at that match. Great competitior and fighter with great spirit. a good aussie.

Healy is realy one of those battlers on the fringes of the top, but can never break through.

 

[hotdimsim]

i dont know, but i think there may be tension b/ween his wife and his parents. The cause of Kim and Lleyton breaking up was Kim hated his mum and couldnt stand her, she to much of a control freak( the mum)

Bec never even looks at them during matches and never mentions during interviews.

Hewitt needs to get rid of his parents. He's no longer a 16yr old needing a helping hand.

 

[Yours!05]

i dont know, but i think there may be tension b/ween his wife and his parents. The cause of Kim and Lleyton breaking up was Kim hated his mum and couldnt stand her, she to much of a control freak( the mum)

Bec never even looks at them during matches and never mentions during interviews.
And, until this tourney, rarely in the same c o u r t side shot .

Hewitt needs to get rid of his parents. He's no longer a 16yr old needing a helping hand.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Rafter's Advice to Hewitt
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=83008

 

[kcaddy]

I think he should fire Rasheed (his trainer, and for 2 years now, also his coach) for several reasons:

- he made him bulkier, perhaps to some advantage on serve, but definitely slower in terms of footwork, than 3 years ago, and that's the money making device for Hewitt

- he hasn't brought anything new to his game (certainly it's difficult at this level, but ...)

- worst of all, from the stands, his face, at critical moments, exudes fear (perhaps he's afraid of being fired ...), not confidence

Sometimes it's just not about the physical side of things

 

[kcaddy]

It has nothing to do with the coach, the wife or Hewwitt himself its all the tournament organizers fault for making the courts to slow:mrgreen: :mrgreen: what a wanker.

Now to be honest the guy has no real weapon... the only reason he has been so successful over his career is the mental toughness and the amazing court speed, well in my eyes he is now losing both of them, he seemed to have fear in his eyes everytime he was put under pressure and reguarly double faulted or put balls half way up the net on big points, add to this he a steep or two slower and its a down hill slide for him.

Its a pity that Australia are so off the map with top class players now but Hewitt really is a embarrasment to this country anyway with his filthy antics and bad sportsmanship.

If only we had another Pat Rafter

 

[kcaddy]

What are you talking about?

We are not a country of bad sports, we are a country that love our sports.
We compose and sing songs for our countrymen who play sports. We idolise our sports hero's as every other country does. Just because we are more vocal does that mean it's wrong.

kaz

 

[kcaddy]

Camels? Only in the outback dude.

 

[jtreed2000]

Why not fire him. Put the blame somewhere else!! lol.

It isn't the muscles, probably motivation. This was a very weak start, probably b/c he too so much time off; like Venus, Serena.

But seriously, right now, I don't think he needs more major changes. He just had a kid and got married so he's going through a lot. I think he will rebound, but like everyone said before his style isn't top level. Top 5 or 10, but he doesn't have the weapons to be #1 again.

 

[Rickson]

Roger should be fired for wearing a hat over his piece.

 

[kcaddy]

It has nothing to do with the coach, the wife or Hewwitt himself its all the tournament organizers fault for making the courts to slow:mrgreen: :mrgreen: what a wanker.

Now to be honest the guy has no real weapon... the only reason he has been so successful over his career is the mental toughness and the amazing court speed, well in my eyes he is now losing both of them, he seemed to have fear in his eyes everytime he was put under pressure and reguarly double faulted or put balls half way up the net on big points, add to this he a steep or two slower and its a down hill slide for him.

Its a pity that Australia are so off the map with top class players now but Hewitt really is a embarrasment to this country anyway with his filthy antics and bad sportsmanship.

If only we had another Pat Rafter