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Tennis: Hewitt admits overnight match was detrimental

Society Materials 22 January 2008 05:28 (UTC +04:00)

( dpa )- Lleyton Hewitt admits that the Australian Open may have gotten it a bit wrong by starting his weekend match with Marcos Baghdatis at nearly midnight. After ending with a third-round win at 4:40 am, the proud Aussie refuses to blame his fitness as a factor in his loss in the next round to Novak Djokovic . "Obviously, I could have probably slept all day yesterday (Sunday) if I had my choice," he confessed. "But obviously I had to get up at some stage and do rehab and prepare as well as possible . "But it wasn't the ideal finishing time." With Wimbledon and Paris holding only day sessions - though some can finish as late as 10 pm in the French summer light - Melbourne and New York remain the Grand Slam venues where all-nighters are possible. "Yeah, it's not ideal. But then again, you know, backing up the next day's not ideal either. So, you know, what's better? I don't know," Hewitt said. "(Juan Carlos) Ferrero and (David) Ferrer had to back up and play two days in a row. We've done that at Wimbledon. It's not the easiest thing to do. It throws your body clock out a little bit more, finishing so late."

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