By Chris Soderstrom
Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt faces an uphill battle if he is to make inroads into the US Open, which is set to begin in six days.
The 27-year-old, who is still struggling with a persistent hip injury, dropped 17 places in the rankings this week to a nine-year low of 55 and, as expected, will play at Flushing Meadows unseeded.
The last time the Australian No. 1 entered a Grand Slam unseeded was eight years ago, at the 2000 Australian Open where only 16 seeds were announced.
When the draw is announced tomorrow, Hewitt will look on in interest as he is likely to draw players such as Olympic gold medallist and new No. 1 Rafael Nadal, four-time defending champion Roger Federer or rising Serb star Novak Djokovic.