Analysis for Gonzalez-Hewitt (ATP Indian Wells)

Head-to-head record 2:4

Lleyton Hewitt is going to play Chilean Gonzalez for the second time this year and we will stay on his side once again. Hewitt is known for his competitiveness and wins most of his matches with relentless aggression, fitness, consistent shots, and highly skilled footwork. He is a defensive baseline counterpuncher. He typically likes to stay back towards the baseline during a rally and will usually approach the net only to catch a short reply or drop shot from his opponent. His strength is his return game and he is often described as being among the best returners of serve in the game. Hewitt's tactics typically involve putting difficult service returns in play, consistently chasing down attempted winning shots from his opponent, and waiting for his opponent to make an error. Although he is known primarily as a baseline defender, Hewitt is actually a skilled volleyer and is known for having one of the best overhead smashes in the game. He also has underrated variety in his shots and will occasionally use a drop shot or drop volley to win a point. His signature shot however is the offensive topspin lob, a shot that he executes efficiently off both wings when his opponent approaches the net. However the area which has plagued Hewitt his whole career and has prevented him from achieving further success is his serve. The main problem with Hewitt's serve is that it is very flat and this does not give him much margin for error. However, Hewitt hasn’t had the successful 2008 season. After the Olympics due to the further damage Hewitt's hip sustained at the Olympics, he was left with no option but to pull out of the US open and skip the rest of the season to have hip surgery. 2008 was the first year the Hewitt didn't win a title since 1998. After returning from hip surgery Hewitt played his first matches in 2009 at the Hopman Cup where he showed some solid performances. Then he kept on achieving the average results but he seems to be gaining his famous self-confidence back. He is getting better from one match to another and played solid match against dangerous Hernych in the first round. He will play Gonzalez from Chile. Gonzalez plays as an offensive baseliner. His groundstrokes, especially on the forehand side, are extremely powerful, even amongst his contemporaries. His forehand has incredible spin and pace, which makes his forehand one of the heaviest shots in tennis. His speed and agility allow him to hit winning shots from practically anywhere in the court. However, as offensive baseliners are, he used to be prone to make a huge number of unforced errors and was less consistent. However, the end of the last year was disappointing for Gonzo and he is still not at his best. Well, his YTD clay-court results are stellar but this is going to be different match. Last time, these two met at Aussie Open and Gonzalez won in a very tight match. We expect a tight match again and Hewitt´s odds above 2.2 are good enough for us.