It looks like Lleyton Hewitt is out of the French Open. I’m sorry to hear this because I’ve always felt that Hewitt has a few great French Open performances in him. Don’t bother writing to tell me about how his counter-punching style works better on faster surfaces, or how his serve is that much more vulnerable on slow clay. I know all that. But the guy is the ultimate grinder, and he’s a model of patience and focus. Guys like that do well on red clay, and while his struggles at Roland Garros can be rationally explained, I still think Rusty is a much better claydog than he’s shown.

By the way, did you know that Hewitt’s squeeze, Aussie soap star Bec Cartwright, is said to be pregnant?