Sydney will play host to a new short form type of tennis in an exhibition featuring old rivals Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt to be held in January.
A brainchild of Tennis Australia, ‘One Night with Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt’ will see the two stars go head to head in a revolutionary fast-paced best-of-five-sets format.
The first ever short form tennis hit out will include a number of rule changes- no advantage scoring, no service lets, tiebreakers at three games all and sets of first-to-four games.
“I’m looking forward to help launch this new fast format of tennis, especially in Sydney,” Lleyton Hewitt said Tuesday.
“Playing Roger in this new format will be an exciting challenge for both of us and a lot of fun. It’s a fantastic innovation for tennis, and one that I hope will take off. I’m glad I can be part of this special event in Sydney, as I have enjoyed good success over the years in this beautiful city.”
The new format, expected to last half as long as a regulation tennis match, will bring the two 33-year-olds together for the 28th time since first meeting in 1999. Hewitt has split their last four matches, however Federer has 18 wins to Hewitt’s 10.
“I can’t wait to come to the beautiful city of Sydney for this very special match against my old friend and rival, Lleyton Hewitt,” Federer said.
“We’ve had some amazing battles over the years and I think we still bring out the best in each other every time we play.”
‘One Night with Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt’ will take place at the Qantas Credit Union Arena on Monday, January 12. Tickets are available from 3pm, November 26 via Ticketek.
Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.
