Hewitt has been a frequent critic of the Rebound Ace surface previously used at the Grand Slam tournament, and was once heard to scream "fix the courts" during a match at Rod Laver Arena.

Tennis Australia has announced Rebound Ace would be replaced by Plexicushion courts, a harder surface designed and manufactured by the same American company that provides the US Open courts at Flushing Meadows.

"He was excited about the change," tournament director Craig Tiley told Thursday's The Australian newspaper.

"He will make comment in due course but he was very pleased about what we are doing."

Hewitt, the world number 16, has struggled to produce his best tennis in his home Grand Slam even when he topped the rankings, although he reached the final in 2005.

Organisers hope the change in courts will put an end to the "sticky surface" debate and reduce the incidence of ankle injuries that have marred the tournament in recent years.

Every lead-up event on the Australian tennis calendar will be fitted with the new courts, with Tennis Australia promising greater consistency in playing conditions between events.

The new courts are also said to have less variance according to weather conditions, a claim supported by retired doubles great Todd Woodbridge.

"The (Rebound Ace) court surface plays differently all the time," Woodbridge told the newspaper.

"I know from experience that this new surface won't do that."

But the reaction hasn't been all supportive with the Rebound Ace court supplier saying the change of surface will make the Australian Open a "clone" of the US Open.

Paul Bull, a director of Australian-based Rebound Ace, said the new surface was the same kind rejected by the Australian Open 20 years ago for providing insufficient shock absorption and being too similar to US-style hard courts.

"Prior to 1987, when they changed the surface, the Australian Open was very much a second-rate Wimbledon," Bull said.

"You have now got to ask the question, are we going to become a second-rate US Open? There is no point of difference. We are selling out the farm to the Yanks again.

"We had an Australian icon event with a unique Australian product and now we are just going to become a clone of the US Open."