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Oh, Lleyton, Don't Fall for the Media Line

Not being a regular tennis watcher - apart from the terrific and courageous Jennifer Capriati, that is - I have little time for some of the hystrionics that go on about the game.

And nor is there time to listen to the slavverings of a media that builds its circulation/ratings figures on the sports gods of Australia.

Having heard that our Lleyton Hewitt - world No.1 player and one of the gutsiest chaps running around a court - was in trouble against a little-rated Spaniard, I amazed everyone by turning on the box and watching the last moments of the game.

It was a tiebreak in the fourth set and Lleyton was already two sets to one down. If the Spaniard won, it was curtains for our lad.

The Spaniard was leading 6-5 in the best of 13 tiebreak and then miffed both the crowd, Lleyton and (horrors) worst of all the commentators, by calling for a trainer to tend tired muscles.

Under the rules he was perfectly entitled to do that and whether it was a bit of gamemanship as well - okay, that's part of the game. He went on to win the match and knocked our Lleyton out of the Australian Open.

You could pick what was coming next. The media went feral about how Lleyton was so hard done by.

Hello? He lost by three sets to one. True, he had been battling chickenpox and did mighty well to last four sets, but he was rather convincingly beaten on the day.

The next media line was about the Spaniard's call for a trainer.

Hello? He's allowed to.

Now you expect the lackeys of media organisations to try to beat the crap out of the issue to boost circulation/ratings, but I was mighty disappointed when Lleyton joined in. He said the trainer incident was "unfair" and called for umpires to stamp it out.

That, to me, smacks of someone who may be beginning to believe the media hype around him. Watch it, kid, they'll throw you to the wolves if it's for a good story.

Stick to your fantastic tennis, keep playing with courage and we'll love you forever. Moan and whinge - as the media hopes you will - and you'll end up ruining your hard-fought-for image.

Remember, it's only tennis.

If there is something that has really got up your nose, let Grumpy Old Coot know at grumpy@webwombat.com