Jul 3, 2008, 10:16 GMT
London - With his Wimbledon done and the US Open less than two months away, Lleyton Hewitt is determined to get find a solution to the left hip tear problem that has compromised his season - even if it means missing several months through a possible operation.
The Australian is hoping that a few weeks of rest will be the cure, but nothing is certain with the injury for the 2002 Wimbledon champion, beaten in the fourth round by Roger Federer.
'We'll work out what is going to be the best option. In an ideal world, a couple of weeks rest would do the trick, and he could play Toronto and Cincinnati,' said Hewitt's management.
The 27-year-old is keen to participate in the Beijing Olympics as well as become a more regular presence on the ATP. Any surgery would mean a two-month minimum pause.
Federer suggests that Hewitt might be a spent force if he doesn't find his fitness: 'I don't think he cares that much about his ranking any more. I think he has the potential, obviously, to be top 10, top 5.
'I don't think the ranking is his driving thing here. He doesn't look at the rankings. I think if he would play 25 tournaments a year and be on top of his game, yes, he has absolutely the chance to be at the top.
'But he unfortunately doesn't. For this reason it's probably not the rankings but tournaments. I feel bad for him that he's injured, that he has so many injury problems.'
Federer sees more Wimbledon trophies in his future
London - Methodical Roger Federer is taking a long-term view about his Wimbledon chances well into the future.
And the player aiming for a sixth straight title at the All England club is already plotting his course for additional trophies in the years to come.
'Doesn't matter how I play from here, I think my game's made for grass,' said the 26-year-old standing just two titles short of the all-time best of 14 Grand Slams set by Pete Sampras.
'There will always be tough opponents, dangerous opponents, but I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years.'
Federer, facing old foe Marat Safin in the semi-finals, added: 'I've always found a way to win. Of course, my dream is to not only win this year, but for many more years to come.
'If it doesn't happen, I'll try to win the next one again. This is what it's all about for me at this stage.'
Federer last lost on grass in the 2002 Wimbledon first round to then-teenaged spoiler Mario Ancic.
But in the interim the Swiss has beaten the Croatian six times, including twice at the French Open and two times at Wimbledon, including this week's quarter-final.
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