Lleyton Hewitt is facing the biggest crisis of his decorated career after learning he could miss the French Open and Wimbledon with a nagging hip injury.
Already poised to slump to his lowest ranking since cracking the top 20 as a teenager back in January 2000, Australia's former world No.1 could disappear from the top 40 if he receives further bad news from doctors later this week.
A worst-case scenario would cruel Hewitt's entire clay and
grasscourt campaigns, meaning the battered 27-year-old would
forfeit a mammoth 455 rankings points accrued during the
corresponding period last season when he reached semi-finals in
Hamburg and Poertschach and the last 16 at Roland Garros and
Wimbledon.
Hewitt, currently ranked 19th, has been consulting daily with the Australian Davis Cup team doctor David Brooks and also saw a specialist at North Shore Private Hospital today for further tests.
The former US Open and Wimbledon champion was trying to remain positive and was hopeful of a return to the tour sooner rather than later.
"The hip is starting to feel a little better, but I'm yet to fully test it out on court," Hewitt said.
"The specialist did a couple more tests today but the results won't be back for a few days.
"Once I get those, I can make a decision on the French Open and the grasscourt season."
Lower ranking
If Hewitt is forced to spend the next two months watching on he'll be ranked well outside the top 32 come the US Open in late August, leaving him the prospect of being unseeded at a grand slam for the first time in almost a decade.
Hewitt is expected to make a decision on a comeback date later this week when he gets the results of his latest medical tests.
Despite being dogged by the hip injury for much of the year and having not played since leading Australia to a Davis Cup playoff victory over Thailand more than a month ago, Hewitt has not given up hope of making it back in time for the French and Wimbledon.
"He is doing everything in his power to compete in both grand slam tournaments," Hewitt's manager David Drysdale said.
"Grand slams are well and truly the highlight of a tennis player's year, particularly an athlete as competitive as Lleyton.
"He hasn't given up on them, but is just frustrated that he can't be already out there competing and preparing."
