Hewitt Targets Record Fourth Straight Title at 25th Stella Artois
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© Getty ImagesHewitt: Lifting the Stella Artois trophy
for the third time in 2002.
World Number One and Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt has confirmed his intention to land a record fourth consecutive title at the 25th Stella Artois Championships to be held at the Queen's Club, 9-15 June, 2003.
Hewitt completed a hat-trick of triumphs with a three set win over Tim Henman last year before going on to win Wimbledon, and will hope to join John McEnroe and Boris Becker as the only four-time champions of the Stella Artois. If he prevails, he will be the first player to win four titles in succession.
"It would be a tremendous honour to win the Stella Artois for a fourth consecutive year," said Hewitt, who has played the event ever since turning professional in 1998. "The Queen's Club courts are in fantastic condition year after year," he added.
Among an all-star field intent on taking Hewitt's title, Henman will once again lead the home challenge. The British number one has lost to the Australian in the final in each of the past two years, but after successful shoulder surgery last November, he hopes to buck that trend this time.
"It will be great to get back on the grass at the Stella Artois - it's the 25th anniversary of the tournament and one I really want to win," said Henman. "I've been to the final three times before and I want to go one further. It won't be easy though because Hewitt will want a fourth title and the rest of the field is always so strong."
Henman's compatriot Greg Rusedski has also signalled his intention to return to the Stella Artois after an injury-hit year, and he will be joined by an array of established and rising stars from the ATP tennis circuit who will all go in search of the singles title and £64,863 (€ 94,700) winner's cheque.
They include 1997 winner Mark Philippoussis, former US Open Champion Marat Safin, 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse, and the two men widely regarded as the future of American tennis - Andy Roddick and James Blake.
Roddick, 20, currently stands fifth in the ATP Champions Race and featured in what many experts regard as the greatest match ever when he defeated Younes El Aynaoui 21-19 in the final set of a five-hour Australian Open quarterfinal earlier this year. Blake, 23, is a United States Davis Cup regular, and was voted the sexiest athlete alive recently by People Magazine in America.
Thai star Paradorn Srichaphan, now tenth in the ATP Champions Race, will also come to the Stella Artois with high hopes after breaking through in a major way over the past 12 months. Srichaphan knocked Andre Agassi out of Wimbledon last year and won titles in Long Island, Stockholm and Chennai. He was also made a cultural ambassador for his country at the end of last year.
Pete Sampras has once again requested that a wild-card place be reserved for him in the Stella Artois Championships which are commonly viewed as a form-guide for Wimbledon.
In memory of founding Tournament Director Clive Bernstein who died last year, a one-off bursary of €2,500 will be given annually to the Qualifier who 'makes the greatest impact on the tournament'. The award is designed to recognise Clive's constant concern for the welfare of young players and is to be used for travel, often the most onerous cost for 'Qualifiers'.