MELBOURNE, Jan 13: Lleyton Hewitt is trusting in his famed mental toughness to get him through a testing first week at the Australian Open starting here on Monday. Hewitt, a runner-up to Russian Marat Safin two years ago, is seeded 19 this year and has had a troubled lead-in to the Australian Open, suffering a torn calf muscle and splitting with his coach Roger Rasheed.

The feisty Australian, who finished last year ranked 20, his lowest position since 1999, has American qualifier Michael Russell in the first round and a possible second round match against either Canadian Frank Dancevic or Romanian Victor Hanescu.

Hewitt said he was 90 percent over the calf muscle injury that forced him out of the lead-up Sydney International tournament, and was getting himself mentally ready to play his way into the tournament.

“If I put myself in the right frame of mind going out there, that never-say-die attitude, especially what got me to the final two years ago, I think that's one of my assets,” Hewitt said on Saturday. “I can't have a much tougher draw than I had a couple of years ago here. I know what it's going to take to come through a couple of big matches. I’d like to think it'll come through again.”

Hewitt has replaced Rasheed with close friend and former Davis Cup team-mate Scott Draper to help him through the Grand Slam. “I think I'm as mentally ready now as I can be. In practice, I've been hitting the ball well.”—AFP