Novak Djokovic v Lleyton Hewitt Full Match | Australian Open 2012 Fourth Round

thank you [Applause] Jeff is there any possibility that Hewitt might have just a slight Advantage because he's played a few night matches this year whereas this is djokovic's first appearance the ball's a bit different at night travels a bit differently maybe for the first two or three games Peter but after that I think not [Applause] 13. Djokovic is he's been here before obviously played at night and he's just so confident at the moment and confident is the most important aspect probably to just about any athlete pretty ominous start he was able to register a first serve percentage of 73 in his first round match since then 55-62 first and third round numbers very much acceptable though he doesn't miss them he just doesn't miss them a very simple opening game for Novak Djokovic where he drops just the one point [Applause] 59. in the Australian vernacular looks Greyhound fit does he not Djokovic he's just caring not one gram of extra weight looks uh ready to rumble we thought that last year when he turned up in different physical condition in Australia and so it proved with his win in the championship but he does look even fitter this year if that's possible [Music] Jeff talked before about Hewitt's win over roundex the other night just played a smart tactical game got behind early in the match and just used his head against his young opponent [Applause] taking the balls so early here Djokovic just prowling on or just behind the Baseline taking time away from Hewitt's ability to recover [Music] I think other than the serve it's the forehand as well that has improved used to be a little uh Wayward from time to time but the forehand now is again a little flattered trajectory the racket face is not as closed on the takeaway as it used to be and it's almost as lethal as his backhand foreign to go back behind an opponent well let's serve rolling in at just 137 probably got what it deserves [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign pretty lean in the double fault department so far in these championships just a couple in his first two matches and he had seven against Raonic the other night [Applause] but these men excel in the return of serve Department Djokovic last year had the best record of any player on two on tour winning 39 of all return of serve games he played that's probably the big underwrited step Jeff isn't it if you look at that stat and if you look at the second serve points one they will indicate the men who are right up at the top of the tree in the rankings yeah very much so the server and the returners have obviously the most important the key ingredients of any game so if you've got an outstanding return say Agassi in his day Hewitt's been one of the greatest returners of servant now in the current ERA Djokovic doesn't serve that many aces he's got a good serve but his return to serve is outstanding bright point again here for the number one seed and the break comes very early so the other thing that does for Djokovic is it just quietens the crowd a bit as well because they're really here to celebrate Leighton Hewitt a bit tonight I don't think there would be too many of the 15 000 strong crowd who would walk into this Arena believing that Hewitt is going to beat Djokovic but that's not going to stop them from giving them every ounce of their support and an early break just quietens things down a bit well there's plenty of debris on the court and there's plenty of debris in the stands [Applause] [Music] not particularly quick but perfectly placed well he hasn't got a massive first serve Novak Djokovic he's quickest of the championships have been 204 he'll be a little bit quicker than Hewitt in that regard but there's not much in it Hewitt will be lucky to get it up past 200. [Applause] look at an indication of the strength that both of these players the returners serve even then Djokovic almost tracking that down the athleticism of the man the flexibility extraordinary oh [Applause] yeah the signs are very good if you're a Novak Djokovic supporter early on he has the break he leads three Live Lightning could be in for a very hard night and part of this is of course he knows the pressure that Djokovic will put on with the return of serve so it puts Hewitt under enormous pressure to come up with something very good when he's up to uh to deliver why long time well I think that point is uh another indication of the confidence Djokovic is feeling a drop shot off the forehand side from behind the Baseline and then looking at a half Folly lob he's he's so confident that he wouldn't try that unless he really felt as if I have the measure of this man well often they say if things are going against you it's got the makings of a long night well unfortunately for Leighton Hewitt it's got the makings of a short night three break points for a double break and a four love lead well hopefully this won't be what it seems to be at the moment hopefully it'll be a competitive performance from Leighton Hewitt but the danger is that in the form that Djokovic is in and with Hewitt coming towards the Twilight years of his career that this could get very messy well certainly been a nervous start from Hewitt I think he'll uh he'll settle in and perform better but uh certainly anonymous beginning 19 points to six as it stands [Music] that's more like it well the serve from Djokovic certainly not what we'd expect from him it was short it was in the middle of the service box 158 K's and killed quite rightly took full toll that's challenging so in this circumstance when the player stops the point if the challenges aren't successful they lose the point that's the reason they're challenged [Music] thank you and we saw this play over and over from the Djokovic in 2011 a heavy serve forcing a weak reply and quickly around it to thump the forehand so it's a one-two punch rather than the big one punch with an ace it's been so comfortable on serve so far Djokovic in trouble for the first time [Music] damage might have already been done oh well there's one back right reception from the crowd I want this to be a contest Hewitt gets one of the breaks back but it's Djokovic 4-1 first set Jeff one thing we've noticed with Novak over the years that he has the loudest shoes of just about anyone playing and it can be a little distracting but it's also instructional just to listen to it sometimes and listen to the squeaks that go on and those little steps those little adjusting steps yeah terrific listen to the feet rather than just watch them thank you [Applause] it's just no accident the quickest people or the best players in the world are also the quickest players in the world because you can't be great frankly without having terrific feet not just to get to the ball but to get there on balance make the little adjustments and that's been Hewitt's greatest attribute probably over the years is these Mobility his footwork now he's settled into his rhythm a bit better [Applause] [Music] will notice tonight he so often slides the ball even on cement Type surfaces as this is [Music] [Applause] well again it was set up by the return just to just a punishing return putting Hewitt on the defensive straight away [Applause] and if you do lose a little bit of your your speed as Hewitt has that question he's just a half step slower than he used to be well you just can't get to these shots or you can't get to the first one quickly enough to do anything positive with and then he punishes you on the subsequent shot break point for a third successive break of the Hewitt serve [Applause] you've got good depth did he get a bit too much depth on it not sure that Djokovic is very confident either he uh he had a good look after he'd made contact with the ball pretty close oh it is good [Applause] it is a break Hewitt has not held servia in this match the only reason is on the board is because of that break of serve in the fifth game so Novak Djokovic wanting to get it done in double quick time might be inside half an hour if he can hold his serve here and that would do nicely [Applause] although as the Fortnight progresses he'll want to get a couple of solid matches into him before the final which almost seems inevitable [Music] he'll play David Ferreira in the quarterfinals beat Richard gas guy earlier today [Applause] and Peter Layton Hewitt is going to need to get out of his comfort zone here tonight and by that I mean he's going to be he's going to need to be as aggressive as he's ever been because if he just tries to play placement tennis Djokovic has got too much racket speed these days he's going to make Hewitt do an awful lot of work so Hewitt's going to have to really meet fire with fire wherever possible for Isis already in this first set for Novak he's not a prolific server of Aces he's highest for the championship so far has been nine against Geraldo in the second round you serve 343 aces in 2011 Djokovic and if you think that sounds a lot I'll tell you who served the most and how many in a moment and it's actually a surprising name the man who served the most Joe Wilfred zonga 825 Aces he served and uh that's plenty but it's still way short of Mr serve himself Goran ivanizovich for a few years managed well over a thousand Aces per season for about three seasons and broke nearly as many rackets and broke many a backstop as well there's that Symphony of the shoe that we were talking about [Applause] and he's so much more comfortable making that transition to the net now Djokovic as well any comes volley technique very very good didn't try and overplay it just played it solidly made life difficult for Hewitt and finished it off with the overhead set point first transgression for Novak nickname became very familiar to all of us when he won the championship here in 2008 Norland Norway was the cry [Applause] thank you only 138 that second serve that was always the Achilles heel of uh Djokovic really picked it up last year certainly hasn't done a lot with his second serve yet tonight but to be fair I think he feels like he really hasn't had to do a whole lot but I think we might seem up the ante a little bit here in the next couple of serves there's only one one of nine points on second serve foreign fabulous example there of the wonderful speed and Racket control of Djokovic the return from here this is a good one very aggressive Djokovic is there with two steps racket back and hits it on the line Hewitt could not have hit too much better a return and it takes 31 minutes Hewitt hasn't held his serve yet Djokovic comfortably convincingly 6-1 in the opening set and drops in Hewitt had a play on it good play though from Hewitt he knows as we said before he's got to get out of his comfort zone of of just rallying the ball from the back of the court and trying to maneuver his opponent around that that won't get it done against Djokovic so good to see him trying to do something different he's going to need to talk interesting Challenge on just the second point of the set a little bit of a sign of desperation I think Peter look here Freddie way possible to get a a quick cheap point and just get it off the line two targets a bit unlucky if you hear it there because the ball he put back was right at the feet of Djokovic [Music] [Applause] again this is a good play from Hewitt he's he's hitting hard into the corner coming forward making Djokovic come up with something difficult it's not the way Hewitt really wants to play he's been forced to do that and credit to him [Applause] thank you first time Hewitt's basically had control of a rally ball you can see Hewitt there right up on the Baseline he had Djokovic covering a little extra territory in that rally mum and dad Courtside as usual his father was pretty handy Australian Rules footballer in his day Glenn and Leighton has inherited that love of Australian Rules Football very keen Adelaide crows supporter in the AFL even the phonetic sound flat yeah and Coach roach will be feeling for his man out there he would said the other night that he hadn't really looked past said rail Cedric Marcel sterebe his first round opponent but a few other people had and looked towards this round of 16 Clash so he still has not held his serve in the match Leighton Hewitt [Applause] 15. foreign gets a round of applause from Djokovic certainly a very very good volleyer Leighton Hewitt probably throughout his career didn't utilize that aspect enough thank you [Applause] Hewitt's been very determined to go after the Djokovic second serve tonight that's obviously been his strategy and it's a good one if there is any weakness at all it is the Djokovic second serve so he's been rewarded on several occasions with that play this is extraordinary because Leighton Hewitt has now won 16 points on his own serve and 15 points on djokovic's serve [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Applause] looked like a backhand slice drill for a while didn't it just go back and forth with the same spin until something sort of gives Djokovic certainly won't be happy having lost the service games that he's lost and he's under threat again so not be pleasing him okay back to back breaks to begin the second set Aussie fans in the crowd love it might be the ticket for Hewitt Jeff likely to just passed on his service came and just say to Novak well you just keep on serving yeah [Applause] well we did mention at the outset that both of these men are outstanding returners have served Djokovic first served percentage has been pretty good so far 66 percent but Hewitt's really jumped on the second serve Hewitt's first served percentage of Pauling at the moment it's got to really get that up 39 first serves into play against the best returner of serve in the world [Music] the win account standing at 18-5 you don't need to be told in who's favor [Applause] Ed all right [Applause] [Music] started off with the return to serve again put Hewitt under pressure from the very first strike and thereafter Hewitt just scrambling to stay alive three or four Jabs to the solar plexus before the the big right cross to the chin Elaine is a partner there clean up [Applause] she's sitting behind coach Marion Vida who's tucked up in the corner of the support box they've been a very good combination they've been together since June of 2006 which as far as tennis relationships go is a lifetime dead [Applause] his best opportunity yet then to hold sir for the very first time and lightning getting very upset [Applause] well if you constantly losing serve it's just so hard to mount serious Challenge and he just can't get any uh Headway on his own service games how did he do that incredible Mobility look at the reactions here he's going the wrong way throws himself back and still has the ability to control the racket face that's outstanding and Personnel in the Djokovic Camp suitably impressed another break point just when Hewitt looked in command of his serve he's just overpowered him again Frankie's will with one of the shots of the tournament foreign Hewitt knows the answer to but I'd be interested to get your gut feel let's play any 16 successive Australian Open Championship tonight do you think we'll see him in the 17th next year I think it's unlikely I think he's really struggling with this foot injury and I think even he doesn't know how long it'll last but he will stop if he feels that he can't be competitive against the best so this is an important occasion here for him tonight if if he could get into this match and get competitive he'll keep playing if he loses badly the quite possibly have a serious think about it he is Human After All look he's also aware at the moment Hewitt that is that Djokovic is while he's playing well he's still got another level to go to so Hewitt is is needing to lift he's trying to lift himself because he knows if he has to Djokovic certainly can [Music] and the unforced Eric count from Hewlett is very high but he's under pressure to do something very good all the time and he knows it so he's trying to push the envelope to the Limit and it's causing a lot of unforced errors Elementary service going for Novak Djokovic what a contrast to the games that like the Hewitt is facing and now this has got to be playing on his mind the fact that he hasn't been able to hold serve yet he's just got the look of a man if he was a hundred meter sprint he'd say he's running about nine nine in the second round when he knows that he's going to have to run nine six something in the final [Applause] Hewitt intent on serving an awful lot of balls to the Djokovic forehand foreign [Applause] surely it's got to be this time knowledgeable crowd here at Melbourne Park will be well aware of the significance of this that Hewitt bidding to serve it out for the first time and listen to the Roar takes him 55 minutes to hold serve for the first time but that's what Leighton Hewitt has done but he's down a break 15. this has been the other part of Hewitt's plan tonight he's tried to be very aggressive on the djokovic's second serve and again that's certainly the right strategy foreign [Applause] [Applause] [Music] Djokovic has now made nine unforced errors in this match so far and that is more than he made in the whole match against Nicholas mahut in the third round [Music] [Applause] certainly hasn't been pleased with his success rate of the second serve and now he's just starting to get a little bit better range and certainly more Pace 171 kilometers now that second serve Sliding Away [Applause] I think you made a very interesting point there Jeff it was 171 the second serve the previous point that one was 173. so it looks as though he's made a conscious decision to just up the ante on the second serve when his average second serve speed tonight has been 153. yeah well he's been forced to do that because hewett's been really jumping on the second serve and Djokovic has reacted as only Champions do by raising the bar thank you [Applause] it makes it look simple is it stretched pretty wide here open stance and look at the angle and speed he gets outstanding [Applause] we talked at the start of the match about djokovic's fantastic year in 2011 with the 10 wins and more than 12 million dollars in prize money and there was another benefit that came from it thank you thank you that's been a shot that served him well over the years as well the overhead he doesn't miss a lot of those the benefit that I was talking about with Nova Djokovic is going from number three in the world to number one in the world which then means that here he is missing either one of Nadal or Federer in his invisible draw yeah Andy Murray is his big hurdle another hold from Hewitt 4-3 second set oh my God [Music] and yet again got it up in the 170s the second serve he's picked it up by around 20K an hour from what we saw in the early stages of the first set and Hewitt's made him do that [Applause] all right okay getting a little frustrated with all the bugs he had a bit of a slip on the Melbourne sign down there before all contributing to a very frustrating night for the Australian veteran that's just too good A little apology from here because he had a bit of luck along the way but the last shot was a bit of class well he'd like a an extra dollar for all the winning lobs he's hitting his career a little bit of extra luck there but this shot he's gone to the bank with on many occasions he holds the ball to the last minute before just lifting it up over the net player's head terrific shot okay no difficulty at all for Novak Djokovic to hold his serve and get to within one game over two sets to one lead a two sets to love lead I should say being a hot and human night as Peter mentioned that's why there's uh bugs attracted by the the lights here at Melbourne Park and if the bugs are here it would seem that the seagulls are going to be here as well I'll lead anything those things around stuff have been busy at the change of ends they've been out with broom and to apparatus to pick up the bugs Tony roach on the left continues to maintain the faith but he knows it's going to be a very tough night probably knew that before he got here really in his heart of hearts [Applause] hits that shot especially well because it looks as if it's just a standard slice backhand that he can hit deep at the last minute just opens the racket face slides under the ball and with terrific Back Spin and beautifully placed gets the job done [Music] you'll be pressing to polish this off in this game Djokovic backhand winner number three for the Australian nine winners now entitled 24 to his opponent 24 winners 10 unforced errors for Djokovic so far that is a terrific ratio oh foreign expecting it and he certainly would have expected to do better with the return he was only a meter away from it and it was hit with such Pace that he just watched it Sail On By [Applause] well this is a sort of ground stroke and we saw from Djokovic right throughout 2011 just heavy Heating giving himself some margin a meter or two from the lines but constantly able to do that until ultimately an opponent just says too good I can't get that last extra stretch that last extra shot and it just wears you down with power and pinpointed accuracy [Applause] [Applause] just heading to his frustration once more finds himself in a position where he's got game point and yet again puts himself in jeopardy of losing the game if he was to lose the game here Djokovic would serve first in the third set he'd served with new balls at the beginning of the third set Marion Vita looking on him passively a pretty good job being Novak Djokovic his coach I think he had plenty of raw materials to work with but they've been a really good combination as I said for a long time oh that is going to be so frustrating for Hewitt Djokovic takes up two sets to love leads oh Jeff let's presume he does win in three as looks to be the case here he plays for rare in the quarterfinals so he would go in with four straight sets of Victories under his belt in relatively quick time would he be hoping then that ferea stretches him a little bit so he can be a bit match hardened as he heads to the final yes and for a will stretch him I don't think Perez got the weapons to win but he will stretch him and you're right I think that would be good for Djokovic he has had things far too easily to this point it's not helpful when the going gets tough to have such an easy ride very gentle Opening Service game we've even managed to see a little bit of a very relaxed side of Andy Murray at times which I haven't seen a lot of over the years he played one exhibition match at kuyong during the Amy classic there in the lead up to here oh one of the longest rallies of the match 22 shots [Applause] there's at one stage in that match at kuyong as we take a look at this point in replay this one really stayed low on Hewitt at the end he was taken out of court with a shot ran straight past the hospitality areas grabbed someone's beer and had a swig of it I said how was that he said it tasted terrible oh he was looking at a British pale ale it wasn't warm enough and I think he's much of a drinker Andy Murray although he did say in his post-match interview the other night out on Hisense Arena when asked what the procedure was after the match he said I'm going out to get hammered yeah that probably means half a pint well he's just got too much weight of shot here Djokovic and even Hewitt's speed and despite the fact he's lost half a step he's pretty quick around the court but just can't track them down in the the way the Djokovic plays that was a very very wide miss it must have missed by about a meter and he's used to missing if he misses it all by centimeters just under Relentless pressure Hewitt he's he just can't make an unforced error without it it costs him heavily here he is now 30 40. he's got to do something special [Applause] well what he did special was get a quality first serve in Life's a lot easier when you do that he's still struggling in that regard Hewitt for the match he's 52 percent first serves into play all right [Applause] played a luchak bottom right hand corner leighton's great mate his doubles partner of these championships he's going to be doing a fair bit of work with him in the future [Applause] dude he's such a competitor see what he's he said Shanks there and he was referring to the return of serve from Djokovic the first return he he mishead it landed on the line and just a little bit of luck as well from the top of the net purit's going to think that everything is conspiring against him he took a little bit of the pace off the ball and he had to reach for it [Music] he would hitting the ball pretty well he's hitting four and five and sometimes six really good ground strokes but Djokovic he's able to do seven or eight or however many it needs until he gets his man out of position second break point in the second game of the third set and that's when the story of the night for Leighton Hewitt so many times he's looked as though he's going to hold his serve and so many times he's been unable too and that's a stat that a lot of the coaches keep Jeff the late points in games and points one from 30 all and thereabouts and they can be the decisive ones in the run of the white well it can it is about taking your opportunities as well he's he's taken seven of nine breakpoint opportunities Djokovic thank you top players talk about that all the time you know once you get get those opportunities you've got to be able to take them Hewitt's now served nine times in the match and has been broken seven times Djokovic in 2011 when 48 of all break points as you would imagine best in the world Djokovic has stopped the point so it's challenging obviously pretty certain about this let's see what sort of Judge he is not bad yeah the official measurement is one millimeter good lighting to be saying yep that'll be right even Marion Vitus cracked it for a smile [Applause] okay what a contrast Djokovic hasn't lost a point on serve in this set in the two service games Hewitt's been broken the end is near [Applause] this was a little casual and he's paid the price Hewitt will always keep running always chasing [Applause] [Music] there's still nobody better than Roger at that shot showed us that last night [Applause] thank you [Music] okay it's a strange old game from Djokovic Hewitt holds to love [Applause] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Applause] game oh well maybe not carrot with a strange going the game before and it's almost continued on into the early stages of this fifth game of the third set [Applause] just losing his concentration a little bit here Djokovic I think got to keep his own Focus he would certainly won't go away that'll help you [Applause] okay I don't think he thinks so he's already walked [Applause] out [Applause] pace is number eight and nine for Djokovic that last one at 193 kilometers an hour Hewitt's just had the one ace for the match [Applause] Jack whilst is making the point that Novak was lost a bit of concentration it's a bit like driving a car when you take your foot off the accelerator and you slow down you're going to get back up to Top Gear again you've got to go through the gears to get there right back Point here to get us back on serve Djokovic is going to be most annoyed with what he's just done the brake back comes and we are back on serve in this third set [Applause] [Applause] ting foreign [Applause] at that point wasn't it it was just side to side to side until hammered him with a knockout blow [Applause] nice little surprise served down the center tee there Hewitt has been going wide to the forehand consistently just occasionally mixing it up down the tee could move from Hewitt forcing the pressure on Djokovic he's the one starting to show some signs of frustration now a few little shakes of the head going on well that's the deepest in any set that Hewitt has been on level terms there's one all in the second set three all here he's just got a bit of momentum on his side at the moment [Music] [Applause] [Applause] time for the world number one to gritty's teeth and come up with a strong service game this is very strange Chef Masters this goes to show you no matter who you are if you just lose a little concentration you're against a dogged competitor who won't go away sometimes it's tough to restart the engine he would good enough to take advantage thank you [Music] thank you [Applause] so annoyed with himself because he knows just for the moment the momentum is on his side may only be a little window so he's got to capitalize on it while it lasts don't they just love his fighting qualities 15. [Applause] Hewitt's backhand was heavily sliced and it's much more difficult to hit a slice back off a slice because you you've got to change the spin of the ball totally [Music] [Applause] can't argue with his tactic there he's 15 30. the opportunities are rare I saw a chance off a second serve to have a go high risk to go down the line though you might think in future of going back cross-court but the basic strategy was appropriate seems strange to say it but three or 30 all it's quite an important Point here to see how far this match is going to progress all of a sudden the coach is not looking so jovial now did what he needed to do to get out of it he looks around to his support box he's going through a bit of a flat spot at the moment but Djokovic still with his nose in front we're on serve in the third set perfect [Applause] love them I get the feeling Jeff we're going to see a much more measured game from Novak Djokovic here I think so good serve [Applause] d Hewitt's first served percentage has at least got into positive territory at 53. the double fault count has now gone up to three real window of opportunity here for the number one seed [Applause] a break here solid service game to follow head to the showers job done less than two hours that's what he's looking at a way to go to achieve that though this hit return here from Djokovic certainly not what we've come to expect from his return of serve d very short second serve [Applause] all right [Applause] [Music] [Music] foreign stuff from here just typical of these fighting qualities [Applause] yeah certainly pushed Djokovic around in this point Djokovic couldn't get any length on his defensive shots and Hewitt made him play look at this for a stride and flexibility this is the athleticism of the man [Applause] all right [Applause] okay that is an outstanding hold from Leighton Hewitt Djokovic had a bit of a stiff there that he might be able to sow the seeds of getting the job done that's a long way from happening now the pressure goes back onto his arm [Applause] thank you thank you such contrasting fortunes on the Djokovic service games in this third set line the balls called them he held its first two games to love was broken in the next one was down in the count in the next one before holding [Applause] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Applause] drop shot and always places the drop shot 99 times out of 100 straight down the line that's the shortest distance the ball has to travel therefore it's in the airless time giving the opponent less time to track it down foreign that's the hardest forehand Leighton Hewitt has ever hit he would have loved that [Music] sits down on this one and lets it fly Djokovic didn't think it was clearing the net but it had enough philosophy that it didn't basically deviate off its flight path big forehand 145 kilometers an hour for a ground stroke from Leighton Hewitt you might be right that might be the quickest one he's ever hit lucky for services is another one-handed yeah that one was probably a bit quicker he's the one looking more likely at the moment he's Mikey Djokovic and his movements around the court look half a step slow [Applause] [Music] ly same as last time a 30-year Point pretty important oh [Music] a different result to last time though [Music] what about this Leighton Hewitt on the verge of breaking and giving himself the opportunity to take the third set thank you seemed like a pipe dream when Djokovic LED three love in this third set [Music] remarkable djokovic's no question has gone off the ball but Hewitt has gone up a level [Applause] that was some return of surf [Applause] well you'd expect that sleeping giant to awaken here what he had to do was he had to take a big gamble the ball on the Baseline looked as though it was very close that first ball but he would have had to stop the point to challenge that one was okay but it was the one before it thank you [Music] hopefully all like Djokovic after that lunge a despairing lunge [Applause] thank you [Applause] here's the lunch before with Djokovic and he went straight away just went over a little bit on that left ankle that's always the danger with the way he slides [Applause] [Music] for so long the crowd was thinking we can give him an acclimation at the end of the third set because that's all we're going to see but perhaps it'll go beyond that and if it does with a set point here what a testament it is to the fighting qualities of Leighton Hewitt [Applause] I certainly Djokovic trying desperately to raise his level here he doesn't want it to go another set trying to get on top of the Hewitt second serve Hewitt really needing a couple of quality first serves [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] the crowd was up the linesman took a long time to rise his left arm everyone holds their breath as Hawkeye makes the decision 13 millimeters in and it brings up a second set point thank you [Music] thank you thank you oh that's the sort of tennis we saw from Djokovic from for two and a half sets [Applause] so Hugh it's still got some work to do [Music] the footwork is not what it was early in the match you're out here in the little uh shuffles are we the little squeaks on the court one more says his wife back one more set point number three [Music] thank you oh he only landed that one outside the court you've got to hand it to him he's gone for his shots on set point a couple of times and come up with the big ones [Applause] 146 he just creamed that now the second serve 129 kilometers an hour a little bit of [Applause] safety Consciousness about that second serve well there wasn't any doubt about the last one but there must have been a bit of a doubt about the ball and the tram lines Djokovic just couldn't take the risk and had to play on [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Music] thank you thank you that's a terrific shot under pressure [Applause] [Music] weren't too many options from there and the short angle was a good one but it takes real Touch under such a tight situation to pull it off the unforced air account mounting to dramatic proportions now in this third set for Novak Djokovic he's had as many unforced errors as winners and there is a complete imbalance in that number early on in this set opportunity number four for the Australian simply amazing how did that happen the fight in later Hewitt will never be extinguished [Music] [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] well I think one thing is certain that Djokovic will work a lot harder at his concentration levels in the set he knows that he's going to need to now he can't afford to lapse again so he's going to try and switch on totally from point one yeah this looks a lot more like he opens up with a love game a statement of intent in the first game of the fourth set one thing that will be interesting tonight to prospective opponents will be that Hewitt has had good success serving wide to the forehand of Djokovic he's done it consistently [Applause] while Djokovic hasn't made that many mistakes he's been predictable with the direction of his return he's just returned the ball Cross Court 90 of the time and the Rally's begun from there [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] again every first serve in this game all three of them to the first court she would have served wide to the Djokovic forehand [Applause] [Applause] it's light here in Melbourne approaching 12 30 now on Tuesday morning but with the possible well with the definite exception of Novak Djokovic and his support staff I don't think too many people here are worried about the fact that it's gone later than they expected oh all right [Applause] love and then interesting response from the crowd something that we don't normally hear from the crowds here Applause on a double fault just his second of the match [Applause] average first serve speed for Djokovic [Music] in the first three sets has been very consistent up in the low 190s early stages in this set but it's in the high 170s [Applause] is constantly Endeavor to attack that second serve and that is getting out of his comfort zone Hewitt but it's the right strategy and he's got to persist with it oh they're starting to look concerned and at times a little bit puzzled foreign [Applause] tries to be a little bit too cute and didn't get thank you the shot or the result he wanted all right [Applause] well the third question Djokovic lost some of his concentration but by the same token Hewitt continues to get better and better the further this match goes he's getting more confident about his ability to hit with aggression without making mistakes buoyed by the crowd his confidence Has Lifted immeasurably thank you it couldn't happen well it's got the feeling it might [Applause] he's got the driver's seat he's got the steering wheel he's got the momentum we'll have it a lot more if he can win this next point please run himself into the ground literally I truly don't know how he does it I mean he's had more injuries than he uh can point a stick at and he's still got some serious [Applause] foot problems but he only knows one way and that's the hard way and it's 100 percent he reads a few more of those just to get a few free points the way this match is progressing 11 Aces to one for the match okay a brilliant serving at the end from Djokovic pulls out the big serves when he needed them and that could turn out to be a very significant hold down a break point Djokovic holds leads 2-1 there it is again the the wide served it to the forehand and Djokovic has not tried to hit more than two or three returns down the line and he was just been sitting on the cross-court return foreign [Applause] [Applause] I think Djokovic came out here tonight purposely to try and keep his emotions calm and cool because he knew 15 000 Spectators would be pulling for Hewitt and he didn't want to give them any reason to uh to cheer any harder I think it's time for him now though to just lift the emotional level the adrenaline be a little bit more animated he needs to fire up a bit more [Applause] Hewitt serving from a long way away from the center mark in the ad Court [Applause] Djokovic pushing into the net may be going to do something different he's got just a slightly better than 50 record when he's pushed into the net tonight Hewitt in percentage terms much much better than that [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] such an important Point coming here now for the Australian just to maintain that momentum that he has established in this match and he's handling the big points a lot better than Djokovic just at present foreign [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] stop [Applause] thank you well it's just remarkable to me that Hewitt continues to serve to the forehead of Djokovic and the further it goes the less effective the Djokovic forehand return has become and is becoming frustrated by an enormous percentage of first serve that's kind of the Djokovic forehand I mentioned earlier that we're a long way from this happening but Hewitt has been able to come from two sets to love down six times in his career including one very famous one in that 2003 Davis Cup semi-final against Roger Federer but surely if he was to pull off this one he had just about rank as one of his greatest victories no question about that if not the greatest few wiring signs coming from Djokovic a few Rye Smiles with the uh error rate that's really become quite elevated he's got to start doing something about it I think he's got to get that adrenaline level up a little bit more a little bit more motivated [Applause] Djokovic mods 17 unforced errors in the first two sets he's up to 32 now already early in this fourth set oh yeah [Applause] good challenge that goes down then as ice number 13. [Applause] there's fatigue sets in the double fault number starting to grow for both players in this fourth set they both had a couple foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] welcome to you wherever you happen to be watching around the world if you're over in New Zealand then you're very perseverant because it's very early in the morning there a bit more time friendly in other parts of the world welcome to you [Applause] is this the moment [Applause] [Applause] [Music] two great serves was talking about in the previous point then comes up with a big one at 186. not that far shy of his quickest to the match at 192. it's still a very big Point coming though [Applause] [Music] [Applause] terrific first serve setting up the point [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] it was very subtle but that's the first time all evening we've seen a little pump of the Fist from Djokovic after he wins this point so he's trying to get the adrenaline level up just a little bit without uh anyone else noticing too much lately okay okay there was this real murmur from the crowd as you'd expect though the pro Australian crowd the ball was close to the Baseline again we're either going to hear a roar or a grown cure to stop the point so he'll lose the point it'll be a break Sydney looked long off djokovic's racket in fact he stopped now this is interesting Jeff Hawkeye does not normally take this long to come up and by the look of it I might have a problem no here we go [Applause] [Music] under the circumstances that you would rather not see Hawkeyes called into action but it's of Leighton Hewitt's doing because he stopped the point and once more the world number one has got the momentum back for how long will he have it though [Applause] so what happens if Hawkeye is not there for whatever reason then it becomes the original decision correct loudness [Applause] just getting back to your last question if there's ever a problem it's more often than not the inability of Hawkeye or the transmission to go to the big screen normally Hawkeye it registers on the computer and the computer people running the computer send a message to the Umpire and so that verbal response does the job it doesn't have to be photo response on the screen class that is beautiful again just a very subtle fist pump after that and uh and I think he's recognized he he needs that he needs to just keep that adrenaline level up it's difficult when there's 15 000 cheering for the other fellow and you're by yourself you've got to work a little bit harder to getting yourself up you started to do that Djokovic he's lifted at the big moment Hewitt just jumps up a little gingerly after his Pursuit wouldn't be at all surprised if he hurt himself there but he will not be wanting to show it [Applause] Djokovic so far has come up with just the sort of service game you would want after the break of serve okay he just took it to another level same as how he turned the switch on Djokovic now within one game of wrapping up the match five two fourth set [Applause] apart from the wonderful contest they're seeing I wonder if the reason that this crowd has largely stayed is because this may be the last opportunity to see the man who's been the flagship of Australian tennis for a long time thank you I think you said it earlier in the night Peter that Layton he would polarized people for a long time he was a little Brash and feisty and certainly not everyone's cup of tea but I think they've come to recognize the incredible fighting qualities that he has foreign [Applause] [Music] for so many years and he's turned them around they've still you know not totally convinced about uh perhaps the feistiness but they really admire thank you so he's fighting qualities over to you Mr Djokovic if you're gonna do it you're going to have to do it yourself a love game from Leighton Hewitt [Applause] [Applause] only three Aces for the match Djokovic has had 13. how dearly would he love to add to the tally here he's got the advantage of new balls to serve for the match [Applause] and to dodge a bullet as it turns out there's one of them [Applause] [Music] Sensational point the 223rd point of the match and it might be just about the best didn't we we saw the attack we saw the defense we saw that sort of volley and then a totally different volley soft hands taking the pace off the ball [Applause] and there's that emotion Jeff Masters was talking about seems a look of assuredness in those eyes all of a sudden a typically courageous fight back from Leighton Hewitt [Applause] is he about to bid farewell to the Melbourne Park crowd [Applause] [Music] thank you the number one seed to book a place in the quarters well of course he would oh [Applause] okay foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] a great shot of respect between the two maybe just maybe Leighton Hewitt is bowing out of Melbourne time Djokovic wins him four but that doesn't really tell the title of what a battle he finished up facing laughs