Lleyton Hewitt is looking forward to shaking up the French Open 2012 betting after being awarded a wildcard for the tournament.
The 31-year-old Australian missed the action in Paris 12 months ago because of injury but has now fully recovered from the foot surgery he endured three months ago.
Despite having won Wimbledon – in 2002 when he beat David Nalbandian in the final – and the US Open 12 months earlier when he thrashed Pete Sampras in three sets, Hewitt has never been beyond the last eight in Paris – although he did reach the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2001 and 2004.
Fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty has also been awarded a wildcard for Roland Garros. The 16-year-old, who currently has a world ranking of 327, will be taking part in the women’s event, four months after making her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open.
Barty is one of only two 16-year-olds in the top 330 and has defied tennis betting tips on several occasions already. She has reached the final of three Pro Tour events so far in 2012, winning in Sydney and Mildura and finishing as runner-up in Ipswich.
“It’s great to see Lleyton back from injury and we are very pleased to be able to reward his efforts with this wildcard,” said Tennis Australia’s Director of Tennis Craig Tiley.
“We are also delighted to give another Grand Slam opportunity to Ash whose commitment, work ethic and professionalism have seen her rise rapidly through the pro ranks. She is continuing to improve and deserves to test herself against the world’s best.”
