Australia’s top tennis player Lleyton Hewitt is feeling “reinvigorated” after successful hip surgery, and is planning an assault on January’s Sydney International and the Australian Open.
Four-time Sydney International winner Hewitt has not played since an early exit from the Beijing Olympics, where he had been dogged by chronic hip soreness.
But now the 27-year-old former world No.1 says things are looking up.
"My recovery is going well and I am really looking forward to the Australian summer," Hewitt told News Ltd.
"It is an exciting time for me. I am already feeling refreshed, reinvigorated and excited about the challenge ahead.
"Sydney is a happy hunting ground for me. I have won here four times and would love to make it five. Some good hard matches in Sydney will certainly help me in my preparation for the 2009 Australian Open."
Current world No.1 Rafael Nadal is expected to headline a star-studded field at the Sydney International, which begins on January 11.