Hewitt in it to win it

Lleyton Hewitt is talking up his chances of pulling off a surprise in next week's French Open.

Australian looking to make his name on clay

Lleyton Hewitt is talking up his chances of pulling off a surprise in next week's French Open. Still only 28, the Australian is on the comeback trail after missing the second half of last season following hip surgery. Hewitt won his first title in two years in Houston in April, which was also the first time he had landed a clay-court event. A winner of the US Open and Wimbledon, Hewitt is no stranger to success but has never got further than the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, while proving no match for Rafael Nadal in 2005 and 2006. However, he believes his game is better suited to the red dirt these days and is optimistic about his chances of making it into the second week of the grand slam event. "In the last two and a half years I've actually played some of my best tennis on clay," said Hewitt, who lost a five-setter last year to Spain's David Ferrer. "I keep saying we don't grow up on it in Australia, so it's hard for any of us to come out and play well against the Spaniards and the South American guys straight up. "But I've been able to learn and adapt to the best way for me to play. I think I can knock good players off on clay. I feel comfortable playing at Roland Garros."