David Nalbandian admits heart and energy left him after exhausting game with Lleyton Hewitt

January 20, 2011 - 15:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - An exhausted David Nalbandian admits the heart and energy needed to grind down Lleyton Hewitt in a gruelling Australian Open first round left him with nothing to give in the second.

Having taken almost five hours to overcome Australia's top men's player two days earlier, the Argentinian lasted just 59 minutes against unseeded Lithuanian Richard Berankis on Thursday night.

Berankis, the world No.95, who at 20 years of age was the youngest player in the year-end top 100, was blitzing the 27th seed 6-1 6-0 2-0, when Nalbandian pulled the pin, before conceding the Hewitt clash took a huge toll.

"Today I felt empty. It didn't feel good, it was tough, very tough," Nalbandian said.

The Argentinian, who won just 26 points for the match, first called for the trainer at the end of the second set, and despite battling on for two more games, was never going to create a contest.

"I called the doctor. He told me it's dangerous playing like that, that's why I retired," he said.

Nalbandian said playing a youngster on court two was also a stark emotional drop-off from facing fierce long-time rival Hewitt on Rod Laver Arena.

"Sometimes it's difficult. Of course, playing Lleyton on centre court with all the crowd, it's a different motivation. But this tournament, all matches are very important, as well. Today I tried, but I couldn't."

Berankis, the former junior world No.1 and the highest-ranked Lithuanian in ATP history, was cheered on by a surprisingly large and loud band of supporters.

He played smartly, testing 29-year-old Nalbandian's legs by running him around the court, but did not have to stretch himself.

Berankis, who beat Australian wildcard entrant Marinko Matosevic in straight sets in the opening round, will next play Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer.

It will be the Lithuanian's first appearance in the third round of a grand slam event, AAP reported.