Lleyton Hewitt Pulls Out of U.S. Open Tennis After Report of Foot Injury

Lleyton Hewitt pulled out of this month’s U.S. Open, which he won 10 years ago, the United States Tennis Association said.

The reason for Hewitt’s withdrawal six days after he received a wild-card entry wasn’t immediately known, Tim Curry, a spokesman for the USTA, said in a telephone interview today. The 30-year-old Hewitt is suffering from a persistent foot injury, Australia’s Herald Sun reported.

Hewitt’s two career Grand Slam tennis titles came at the U.S. Open in 2001 and Wimbledon the following year. The Australian will be replaced at the last major tournament of the tennis season by 26-year-old Marinko Matosevic as part of a reciprocal wild-card arrangement with Australia that gives the U.S. an entry in the Australian Open, Curry said.

Hewitt was ranked No. 1 on the ATP Tour from October 2001 to April 2003, according to the tour’s website. He lost to David Nalbandian of Argentina in the opening round of the Australian Open this year and fell in the second round of Wimbledon to Robin Soderling of Sweden. He withdrew from the French Open on May 22 with an ankle injury.

The U.S. Open runs Aug. 29-Sept. 11 at the National Tennis Center in New York. The men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $1.8 million each.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eben Novy-Williams in New York at enovywilliam@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net;