But there's more:
More than the job's worth
Linda Pearce
January 6, 2007
THE one thing Darren Cahill, Jason Stoltenberg and Roger Rasheed have in common is that, as former coaches of Lleyton Hewitt, they have all jumped without being pushed. Each found it impossible to work in such a poisonous environment, or tolerate the on-court abuse any longer. Or both.
All have quit within the past five years, Rasheed terminating his contract on Friday after a particularly vitriolic Hewitt performance during his loss to world No. 94 Igor Kunitysn. It is also believed that at least one member of the Hewitt entourage tried to defend Rasheed from the criticism that began mid-match, only to then become a target, too.
Amazingly, all of this while Hewitt was on centre court, trying to qualify for the quarter-finals of an ATP Tour event. Any real surprise that he lost? Rasheed has long been a close and supportive friend and was a groomsman at Hewitt's 2005 wedding and it had seemed that, professionally, coach needed player more than player needed coach. Yet still he walked — surprising many who believed he would hang on indefinitely, however poor his treatment and as increasingly untenable the situation had become over the previous 12 months.
At this rate, without more respect for himself and others, Hewitt will soon become the loneliest player in Australian tennis. He will have his family, but there will be no queue of prospective coaches eager to help the former No. 1 resurrect his ailing game. Not everyone is convinced Rasheed was the ideal man for the job, believing Hewitt would benefit from more sophisticated tactical nous and a firmer hand, but that, for now, is not the point.
Hewitt is 26 next month. He has a wife and a one-year-old daughter, and yet he allows his parents — particularly his father, Glynn — to continue travelling with him during his increasingly infrequent appearances on the tour. One or both parents attend the grand slams, are at Davis Cup ties, some Masters Series events. It is time they stayed home. Indeed, it is time for Hewitt to make some major changes, or he will become an even more marginal fi gure in the sport he once dominated. He will never return to No. 1, but he is a better player than 20th in the world, and could still, given the right environment, be a major player. But not as things stand. Hewitt needs many things right now — the swift healing of the small calf tear that is, incidentally, unlikely to keep him out of the Australian Open; a way to regain some of what his increasingly impotent game has lost — but what he does not need, at his age and in his current circumstances, is his father running his life.
Rasheed's first match as Hewitt's coach was a sensational loss to Ivo Karlovic in the first round on centre court at Wimbledon in 2003; his last limped to its denouement before a few thousand people at Memorial Drive. There was no grand slam title in the interim; only a rankings slide and more of what had driven Cahill and Stoltenberg away. It will probably chase off future employees, too, at least any with personal pride and integrity, if the current situation, with all its negativity, is allowed to continue.
On the positive side, this latest crisis might just be the catalyst that is needed. As for replacements, the obvious candidate is Wally Masur, who is one of the few Australian coaches Hewitt respects, but Masur runs the National High Performance Academy in Sydney and has a Fox Sports commentary role, so is unlikely to be in a position to travel as much as Hewitt would like. Perhaps someone such as Hewitt's former Davis Cup teammate Sandon Stolle, who is not long retired and planning a third stint in China but recently told The Sunday Age he would prefer to be involved locally. Until a permanent arrangement can be made, perhaps a short-term association with a Pat Rafter, for example?
Expect someone to be in place before the Australian Open starts tomorrow week, if only temporarily. Then again, if major changes are made — if the coach is left to captain Team Hewitt, Glynn's infl uence is phased out and Lleyton can break this ridiculous and long-standing habit of abusing all within sight during matches that are not going as he would like — it is not out of the question that Rasheed may agree to return. Or even Stoltenberg. Probably not Cahill.
It could be that Hewitt has had almost enough of tennis, is so happy in his private life as a husband and father that he is content to play the occasional tournament, record the odd good result, gradually fade into an immensely comfortable life. But that would be at odds with the fiercely competitive Hewitt we have known. It would also be a shame for the struggling Australian game. Either way, he can choose.
First Cahill, then Stoltenberg and now Rasheed have sent him a message, one that should be compelling. What happens from here depends on whether Hewitt is willing to listen.
The Age
