SPORT:

Lleyton Hewitt's Australian Open bombshell:

'I've found true love at last'

A fired-up Lleyton Hewitt has vowed not only to win this year's Australian Open title but to dedicate the victory to the new love of his life - actress and comedienne Magda Szubanski.
A clearly smitten Hewitt blew kisses to Ms Szubanski who watched on nervously at the weekend as the Australian continued his bid to add the Aussie Grand Slam crown to his Wimbledon and US Open victories.
For the first week of the tournament, Hewitt had been linked romantically with some stunningly beautiful soapie actress - the first sign that he was over his messy breakup with Belgian star Kim Clijsters.
But by week's end, when the Aussie player and Szubanski, star of the hit movie Babe and its sequel and the hit TV show Kath and Kim, were seen sharing an intimate joke at a ritzy inner-Melbourne eatery, chins started wagging ... and they were just Szubanski's.
Nearby diners soon joined in and the smitten couple played up to their friendly teasing and banter, making no secret of their love for each other.
Over the weekend, the pair have been seen out in public on numerous occasions and appear inseparable. On Saturday, the lovers frolicked on a windswept Brighton beach, Hewitt wearing only a pair of brief Speedos and Szubanski in a fetching eight-piece.
On another occasion, the pair were spotted shopping in an inner-city department store, Hewitt with a protective arm constantly around half of one of Szubanski's sides.
Asked about the new love of his life at a post-match media conference, Hewitt said he was sick and tired of the notion that millionaire sportsmen always had to have an absolute blonde stunner on their arm whenever Paris Hilton wasn't available.
"Look, it's true that in this game and at the level I've reached, you can virtually have your pick of absolutely glamourous women. They hide in change rooms, in hotel lobbies, in your room even, and virtually throw themselves at you. Generally they're nude too. It's awful.
"But I'd like to think I'm a little more mature now and can see beyond the fact that they're stacked and they've got legs like Waterworks Road ... all the way up to The Gap.
"I want a woman to be with me because of me, not because of who I am. Magda has had her fair share of fame too so I think the fame thing doesn't do it for her. She's seen beyond that and likes me for my personality. My sense of decency too, I guess. The fact that deep down, behind all that macho stuff, the shouting and the gestures, I'm really a decent guy.
"And from my point of view I still can't believe I'm with her. Sure, she may not be a classical beauty but you know what I really like about Magda? Unlike all those other girls I've been with, she doesn't think she's sitting on a fortune.
"It's more like Fort Knox, she reckons! Sorry about that but it is her line. That's what I like so much about her: she can laugh about herself and she makes me laugh too.
"But more than that, it's so relaxing just being around her. There's no demands, no pouting, no expectations, no shopping sprees, no great desire to be seen in public for the sake of being seen.
"Magda loves nothing more than for us on our rare days off together to simply stay indoors and chew the fat."

A nervous Magda Szubanski watches new boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt's progress on the Margaret Court Arena at this year's Australian Open tennis.