Now that Lleyton Hewitt has reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, he says it's time to start playing his best tennis.
The third-seeded Hewitt, who has missed much of this year because of injury, beat Taylor Dent of US, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3 on Monday.
"The first week was especially important for me to get through," Hewitt said. "Now you come up against the name players, the real challengers for the title."
Hewitt's next opponent, left-hander Feliciano Lopez, is an unexpected quarterfinalist _ the first Spaniard to reach the men's final eight since Manuel Orantes in 1972. But Hewitt knows that Lopez is dangerous.
"I'll just be looking at Lopez's game, how that matches up with mine, areas of his game that maybe I can exploit a little bit more," said Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion. "His serve and his forehand are his two big weapons."
Lopez upset Marat Safin in the third round and 2004 semifinalist Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday.
"He's dangerous with that big left-handed serve," Hewitt said. "He's had two very good wins in his last two matches. He's not easy to beat."
Hewitt beat Lopez in straight sets in the third round of the U.S. Open last year.
{{/usCountry}}Hewitt beat Lopez in straight sets in the third round of the U.S. Open last year.
{{/usCountry}}"I was seeing the ball like a football that night," Hewitt said.
Hewitt underwent foot surgery this spring, then missed the French Open after cracking two ribs when he fell down stairs at his home in Sydney.
Hewitt hasn't won a tournament since mid-January, but he believes he can win his second Wimbledon title.
"I go out there and I expect to win. I got out there and I play to win," Hewitt said. "Obviously, I'd love to hold the trophy up, but there's still three matches to go before I can do that. "The names get tougher and tougher the further you get in the tournament."
Those names don't get any tougher than top-ranked Roger Federer, the two-time defending champion, who looms as a potential semifinal opponent for Hewitt.