Perth, Australia - Lleyton Hewitt has revealed he was forced to undergo August hip surgery after his leg "shut down" at the Beijing Olympics. "It got to the stage where at Wimbledon I was struggling quite a bit. I made the fourth round, and lost to Roger Federer," said the two-time Grand Slam champion, making his comeback at the Hopman Cup.
"But I put up a great effort there, but then went to Beijing and after one match my whole leg basically shut down.
"That pretty much told me that I had to have something done. So I flew straight back to Australia, had it done the next morning and have been out of action since."
Hewitt will get his first test on court since the summer when he plays on Monday at the eight-nation event against Nicolas Kiefer when Australia face Germany in round-robin play.
"I'd tried absolutely everything before and ended up having it done," said the 27-year former number one, now ranked 67th.
Hewitt is pleased with his recent rehabilitation, but knows the true test will come at the Burswood Dome, where is is partnering local heroine Casey Dellacqua for the team.
"I have not played for close to five months or so, and to come out and be guaranteed three tough matches straight up, for me it's the perfect preparation for the Australian Open.
"I'm really looking forward to getting out there Monday and hopefully to a good start.
"This injury obviously set me back a few months. It was hard to watch the US Open and not actually be a part of it - at a place where I have had so much success there in the past."
