Kuerten says wait and see on Hewitt's world dominance

ATP Champions race leader Gustavo Kuerten praised U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt on Thursday but showed less confidence than Pete Sampras in Hewitt's ability to dominate world tennis.

Australia's Hewitt, Brazil's Kuerten and American Andre Agassi are locked in a three-way battle to end the season as number one in a contest that could be settled at the Masters Cup in Sydney next month.

Top seed Kuerten and second seed Agassi both lost in the second round this week at the Stuttgart Masters Series tournament while Hewitt advanced to the third round and moved into second place in the Champions Race, overtaking Agassi.

Victory in the tournament this week would give 20-year-old Hewitt a winning streak of 19 matches and top spot in the Champions Race.

"Maybe this week he can overcome my lead and that's something I can do nothing about," Kuerten said in a telephone conference call with Australian media.

"I just have to wait for my next tournament (Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel).

"Winning every match in the last month is quite amazing.

"I'm happy a young guy like him can have this feeling."

TOUGH TASK

Kuerten said it would be tough for a player like Hewitt to maintain such great form season after season, playing 11 months a year.

"I've got to say that you just have to wait and see," Kuerten said.

"You have to play many matches, year after year. It takes everything from yourself and your body and mentally. Every year it becomes a little bit more difficult."

Sampras, the 30-year-old American winner of 13 Grand Slams, said after losing the U.S. Open final in straight sets in September: "You're going to see this Lleyton Hewitt guy for the next 10 years like you saw me."

Kuerten said he thought Australia, led by Hewitt and Wimbledon finalist Patrick Rafter, would beat France in the Davis Cup final on a drop-in grass court starting on November 30 in Melbourne.

"I always see the home team as favourite so I would go for Australia for sure," the Brazilian said.

Kuerten did not have the same confidence in his own form, however, after struggling in recent weeks.

"Right now I really need to win a few more matches," Kuerten said.

Kuerten won the season-ending inaugural Masters Cup in Lisbon last year, clinching the year-end top ranking, overtaking Russian Marat Safin by scoring back-to-back victories over Sampras and Agassi.

"Last year was the greatest moment of my career," Kuerten said.

"It just came together. It was very special getting the world number one.

"It's going to be very special to play against the top guys.

"Sydney is a nice place to play, at the Superdome. I'll try to enjoy that a lot.

"Right now I don't have the same confidence as that time," Kuerten added.