Lleyton Hewitt's French Open campaign has been derailed by an ankle injury less than a week out from the start of the Roland Garros tournament.

Hewitt is in serious doubt for the claycourt tournament beginning on Monday after twisting his ankle and immediately collapsing behind the baseline clutching his foot in agony during an opening round loss in Austria.

The 25-year-old returned to complete the match but failed to win another point as he lost to unheralded Brazilian Marcos Daniel 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in Poertschach.

Hewitt's manager Rob Aivatoglou said the feisty baseliner was trying to remain positive about playing at Roland Garros.

"Lleyton will be having an MRI scan later today as a precautionary measure but the initial doctor's examinations suggest there is no ligament damage," Aivatoglou said.

"We're optimistic that he will be fit for the French Open but will know more once we get the results of the scan."

Regardless, the injury and loss was another blow to Hewitt's ambitions at the French Open - the grand slam tournament the South Australian has struggled to make a mark in.

The US Open and Wimbledon champion has only made the quarter-finals on two occasions, including his last outing when he lost to eventual winner Gaston Gaudio in the final eight in 2004.

The clash in Austria was Hewitt's first match in two months - and his first on clay in nearly two years - after he missed last week's tournament in Hamburg with a calf muscle injury.

Hewitt missed last year's French Open when he cracked ribs falling down stairs at his Sydney home and his poor preparation leaves him vulnerable against dirt-court specialists.

The former world No.1 has retained his renowned will to win but is now in the longest title drought of his career, having not lifted a trophy since the 2005 Sydney International.

He has only compiled a modest 14-8 season record this year and has not beaten a top-50 rival since the US Open last September.

His diminishing powers have been evident by the defeats in his two finals this season to Britain's Andy Murray in San Jose and American James Blake in Las Vegas.

Both are talented players but the sort of competitors that Hewitt would have crushed in his heyday.

Hewitt has made his wife and baby daughter a top priority in 2006 but such distractions are costly when he is trying to claw his way back to the top against high-flyers such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

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