Lleyton Hewitt has said that he will overcome pain to feature in next year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open.
Despite issues around his ongoing foot injury, Hewitt has said that he was sure to play in the Australian Open that will begin at the Melbourne Park from January 16. The Australian was a finalist in tournament in 2005 when he lost to the Russian Marat Safin in the final.
Hewitt was diagnosed with having a major foot injury that a specialist said will make it difficult for him to walk let alone play in a Grand Slam. However, Hewitt has said he will look to play through the tournament without even having pain-killers given they affect his stomach.
Hewitt last played competitive tennis in Australia's Davis Cup loss to Switzerland in Sydney in September but has said that he will compete in the Australian Open.
Earlier, he reached the last-eight stage of the US Open in 2006 despite having a knee issue. He also defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2005 Australian Open while battling a hip injury. Currently, he is ranked 186th in the world because of his lack of participation in many tournaments.
Hewitt said, "This year's been frustrating with the foot injury. The rest of my body feels great, so that's probably even more frustrating. If I was breaking down in a lot of different areas, then you can sort of put up with it.”
Hewitt will begin his 2012 season by leading Australia in the Hopman Cup in Perth, before taking part in the Sydney International tournament leading up to the Australian Open 2012.
