Hanging out with Hewitt
from The Advertiser by Doug Robertson
15 December 2004

RISING Swede Joachim Johansson is banking on a priceless local edge to get the upper hand at the Next Generation Australian Harcourt Championships in Adelaide ... and it's coming from the man he has to beat to win it.

Johansson – the huge-serving 198cm, 89kg boyfriend of Jaslyn Hewitt – is hoping to hone his skills with world No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt at Memorial Drive in the weeks before the January 3-9 tournament.

Presently training as a guest of Tennis Australia among a host of Aussie youngsters at the Australian Open camp at Melbourne Park, Johansson will stay at the at Hewitts' West Lakes home from Sunday to prepare for the Hardcourt Championships.

And just like last year he'll take advantage of any chance to hit with his girlfriend's super-talented brother as the tournament top seeds prepare for the much anticipated season-opening tournament. "We'll see how it works out but that's (training with Lleyton) a possibility," said Johansson, who will play doubles with Todd Woodbridge in Adelaide. "Training with Lleyton is so good because he is a complete player. He gets all the balls back so I've got to play extra balls on every point.

"It's better for me than training indoors in Stockholm. I feel at home in Adelaide and it gives me a more perfect preparation."

Johansson, part of Sweden's Davis Cup team that embarrassed Australia at The Drive in February, stopped briefly in Adelaide before joining the Australian Open camp and invaluable practice on the same Rebound Ace courts used at the Open, which he predicted would be faster than last year.

"It helps me a lot when you see how much they all want to get better and train hard. It makes you want to do better yourself," he said. "I've been training three hours of tennis and three hours running or in the gym every day. It's been really good for me."

Johansson improved 101 places to world No. 12 after a sensational year which included his first ATP title at Memphis in February.

He lost to Hewitt in the US Open semi-finals after beating powerful American Andy Roddick and racked up seven quarter-final appearances in a stellar season.

Second only to Roddick (1017) as the biggest server on the tour with 869 aces, Johansson won 92 per cent of his service games this year and continues to fill his considerable potential.