Lleyton Hewitt
 |
| Country |
Australia |
| Residence |
Adelaide
Sydney
Nassau, Bahamas[1] |
| Born |
(1981-02-24) 24 February 1981 (age 31)
Adelaide |
| Height |
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight |
77 kg (170 lb; 12.1 st) |
| Turned pro |
1998 |
| Plays |
Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money |
$19,001,021 |
| Singles |
| Career record |
546–197 (68.85%) (Grand Slam, ATP Tour level, and Davis Cup) |
| Career titles |
29 |
| Highest ranking |
No. 1 (19 November 2001) |
| Current ranking |
No. 175 (2 April 2012) |
| Grand Slam Singles results |
| Australian Open |
F (2005) |
| French Open |
QF (2001, 2004) |
| Wimbledon |
W (2002) |
| US Open |
W (2001) |
| Other tournaments |
| Tour Finals |
W (2001, 2002) |
| Olympic Games |
2R (2008) |
| Doubles |
| Career record |
85–58 (Grand Slam, ATP Tour level, and Davis Cup) |
| Career titles |
2 |
| Highest ranking |
No. 18 (23 October 2000) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results |
| Australian Open |
3R (1998, 2000) |
| French Open |
2R (1999) |
| Wimbledon |
3R (2000) |
| US Open |
W (2000) |
| Last updated on: April 10, 2012. |
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (
/ˈleɪtən ˈhjuːɨt/;[2] born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1, who has a current ATP ranking of 176.
Hewitt is the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20. His career achievements include winning the 2000 US Open men's doubles, the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon men's singles, and back-to-back Tennis Masters Cup titles (2001 and 2002). In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put Hewitt in 34th place on its list of the 40 greatest tennis players since 1965.[3]
Hewitt might well have followed in the footsteps of his Australian rules football-playing father Glynn. Instead, he became one of the youngest winners of an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament when, as an almost unknown youngster, he won the 1998 Next Generation Adelaide International, defeating Andre Agassi in the semifinals. Only Aaron Krickstein winning Tel Aviv in 1983 and Michael Chang winning San Francisco in 1988 were younger when claiming their first ATP title. Hewitt then left Immanuel College to concentrate on his tennis career.[4]. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. [5]
In 2000, Hewitt reached his first Grand Slam final at the Wimbledon mixed doubles partnering Belgian Kim Clijsters. They lost the match, 4–6, 6–7, to Americans Kimberly Po and Donald Johnson. Hewitt later won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open when he along with Max Mirnyi claimed the men's doubles championship; thus becoming the youngest male (at 19 years, 6 months) to win a Grand Slam doubles crown in the open era.[6] At the end of the year, Hewitt became the first teenager in ATP history to qualify for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup (ATP World Tour Finals).[7]
Hewitt started off the 2001 season well by winning the Medibank International in Sydney, and went on to win tournaments in London (Queen's Club) and 's-Hertogenbosch. He captured his first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 2001, when he beat former world no. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the semifinals and defeated then-four-time champion Pete Sampras the next day in straight sets. This win made Hewitt, Pat Rafter, and Kafelnikov the only active ATP players to win a Grand Slam singles and doubles title during their career. Hewitt is still the last player to achieve this feat. Lleyton went on to win the Tokyo Open and again qualify for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup held in Sydney. During the tournament, Hewitt won all matches in his group, before defeating Sébastien Grosjean, 6–3, 6–3, 6–4, in the finals to take the title and gain the world no. 1 ranking.
Hewitt won a total of six titles in 2001.
The year 2002 was once again a solid year for Hewitt, winning three titles in San Jose, Indian Wells and London (Queen's Club). He followed his 2001 US Open win by capturing the Wimbledon singles title, dominating first-time finalist David Nalbandian in straight sets; Hewitt lost only two sets throughout the championship. His victory reinforced the idea that, although the tournament had tended to be dominated by serve-and-volleyers, a baseliner could still triumph on grass (Hewitt was the first 'baseliner' to win the tournament since Agassi in 1992). Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who are also baseliners, won all titles between them from 2003 to 2010, with Novak Djokovic, also a baseliner, winning the tournament in 2011.
For his third straight year, He qualified for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup held in Shanghai and successfully defended his title by defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, 7–5, 7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 6–4. Hewitt's win helped him finish the year as world no. 1 for a second straight year.
In 2003 Hewitt defeated former world no. 1 Gustavo Kuerten for the championship at Indian Wells. But at Wimbledon, as the defending champion, Hewitt lost in the first round to qualifier Ivo Karlović. Hewitt became the first defending Wimbledon men's champion in the open era to lose in the first round. Only once before in the tournament's 126-year history had a defending men's champion lost in the opening round, in 1967, when Manuel Santana was beaten by Charlie Pasarell. Hewitt was only the third defending Grand Slam champion in the open era to lose in the first round, after Boris Becker at the 1997 Australian Open and Patrick Rafter at the 1999 US Open. After Wimbledon in 2003, Hewitt lost in the final of the tournament in Los Angeles, the second round of the ATP Masters Series tournament in Montreal, and the first round of the ATP Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. At the US Open, Hewitt lost in the quarterfinals to Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(5), 1–6. Hewitt played only Davis Cup matches for the remainder of the year, recording five-set wins over Roger Federer and Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semifinals and final respectively, as Australia went on to win the Davis Cup. Hewitt used much of his spare time in late 2003 to bulk up, gaining 7 kg.
Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon, 2004
In 2004, Hewitt became the first man in history to lose in each Grand Slam singles tournament to the eventual champion. At the Australian Open, he was defeated in the fourth round by Swiss Roger Federer. At the French Open, he was defeated in a quarterfinal by Argentine Gastón Gaudio. At Wimbledon, he was defeated in a quarterfinal by Federer, and at the US Open, he was defeated in the final by Federer, losing two out of the three sets at love. At the year ending 2004 Tennis Masters Cup, Hewitt defeated Andy Roddick to advance to the final, but was yet again defeated by defending champion Federer.
In 2005, Hewitt won his only title at the Sydney Medibank International defeating little-known Czech player Ivo Minář. Hewitt spent much time in the late stages of 2004 working with his former coach and good friend, Roger Rasheed, on bulking up his physique. His hard work paid off during the Australian summer, when he defeated an in-form world no. 2 Andy Roddick, 3–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–1, to reach his first Australian Open final. He was the first Australian player to reach the final since Pat Cash in 1988. In the final, he faced fourth seed, Marat Safin, who had defeated world no. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals. After easily taking the first set, he was defeated by the Russian, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, despite being up a break in the third set. At Wimbledon, he reached the semifinals, but lost to eventual champion Federer. Two months later, Hewitt again lost to Federer in the US Open semifinal, although this time he was able to take one set from the Swiss. Hewitt had at this point lost to the eventual champion at seven consecutive Grand Slam tournaments he played (he missed the 2005 French Open because of injury). Hewitt pulled out of the Tennis Masters Cup tournament in Shanghai in November 2005 so that he could be with his wife Bec, who was due to give birth.
Hewitt was defeated in the second round of the 2006 Australian Open by Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina. He then reached the finals of the San Jose and Las Vegas tournaments, losing to British youngster Andy Murray and American James Blake, respectively. But he lost to Tim Henman, 6–7(5), 3–6, in the second round of the Miami Masters, a player he had defeated eight times previously in as many matches. At the 2006 French Open, Hewitt reached the fourth round, where he lost to defending champion and eventual winner Rafael Nadal in four sets.
Hewitt won his first tournament of 2006 (after a 17 month hiatus from winning a tournament), when he beat Blake, 6–4, 6–4, in the final of the Queen's Club Championships. This was his fourth title there, equalling the records of John McEnroe and Boris Becker. During the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, Hewitt survived a five-set match against South Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee that was played over two days. He then defeated Olivier Rochus and David Ferrer, before losing to Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinals. At the 2006 Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., Hewitt was defeated by Arnaud Clément, 6–7(1), 4–6, in a quarterfinals, after defeating Vincent Spadea in the second round and Denis Gremelmayr in the third round.
Hewitt participated at the 2006 US Open, despite having an injured knee. Hewitt won his first three matches in straight sets against, respectively, Albert Montañés, Jan Hernych, and Novak Đoković. He defeated Richard Gasquet, 6–4, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–3, in the fourth round to advance to the quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive year. He then lost to Roddick, 3–6, 5–7, 4–6.
At the 2007 Australian Open, Hewitt lost in the third round to tenth-seeded Chilean and eventual runner-up Fernando González, 2–6, 2–6, 7–5, 4–6. With his win in Las Vegas in March, Hewitt had won at least one ATP title annually for ten consecutive years. This was a record among active players at the time.[8]
Hewitt reached the 2007 Hamburg Masters semifinals, where he pushed eventual finalist Rafael Nadal to three sets. At the 2007 French Open, Hewitt, for the second straight time lost in the fourth round to Nadal, 3–6, 1–6, 6–7(5). At the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, Hewitt won his first three matches, including a four-set third round victory over Guillermo Cañas. He then faced fourth seed Novak Djokovic in the fourth round, which he lost, 6–7, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7.
After Wimbledon, it was announced that he had hired former Australian tennis pro Tony Roche to coach him during Grand Slam and Masters tournaments in 2007 and 2008.[9] At the Masters tournaments in Montréal and Cincinnati Hewitt reached the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. In both cases, he lost to Roger Federer.
He was seeded 16th at the 2007 U.S. Open, but for the first time in eight consecutive appearances at Flushing Meadows, he did not reach the quarterfinals or further. He lost in the second round to Argentine Agustín Calleri.
At the 2008 Australian Open, he advanced to the fourth round as the 19th seed, defeating 15th-seeded and 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis in a thrilling third-round match, 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7 (4), 6–3. The 282 minute match started at 11:52 pm and ended at 4:34 am[10] the following morning. It was a characteristically "gutsy" performance and cemented Hewitt's reputation as a tough competitor. Hewitt lost his fourth-round match in straight sets to third-seeded and eventual champion Novak Djokovic, 5–7, 3–6, 3–6.
A hip injury Hewitt acquired in March 2008 affected his preparation for the French Open and forced the loss of 300 rankings points as Hewitt was unable to defend his semifinal appearance at the Hamburg Masters, as well as compete in supplementary tournaments. However, Hewitt made the third round at Roland Garros, before losing a five-set thriller to fifth seed David Ferrer, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 4–6.
Despite his ongoing hip problem, Hewitt was able to compete at the Queens Club Championship with moderate success, falling to second seed Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, 2–6, 2–6. His good form continued into Wimbledon, Hewitt making the fourth round for the second successive year, before facing world no. 1 and first seed Roger Federer and losing, 6–7(7), 2–6, 4–6.
After Wimbledon, Hewitt elected to miss the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters in an effort to give his hip sufficient rest to enable him to play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he defeated Jonas Björkman in the first round, 7–5, 7–6(7–2), before losing to second seed Rafael Nadal, 1–6, 2–6. However, the more notable incident in the Olympics occurred in Hewitt's opening-round doubles match with Chris Guccione against Argentines Juan Mónaco and Agustín Calleri. The match went to an advantage third set with Hewitt and Guccione prevailing 18–16.
After the Olympics, due to the further damage Hewitt's hip sustained at the Olympics, he was left with no option but to pull out of the US Open and skip the rest of the season to have hip surgery.
2008 was the first year since 1997 in which Hewitt did not win a title.
After returning from hip surgery, Hewitt played his first match in 2009 at the Hopman Cup, where he defeated Nicolas Kiefer in three sets. Hewitt then participated in the Medibank International Sydney, winning his first two matches, but losing in the quarterfinals to David Nalbandian. Hewitt then went on to play in the 2009 Australian Open, where he was unseeded in a Grand Slam for the first time since 2000. He faced Fernando González in the first round and lost in five sets, 7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6.
At the tournament in Memphis, he caused an upset in the first round by defeating James Blake in three sets, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4. He then defeated fellow Australian Chris Guccione in the second round, 6–2, 7–6(4), and Christophe Rochus in the quarterfinals, 6–2, 6–3. He faced Andy Roddick in the semifinals, but lost in a close match, 6–2, 6–7(4), 4–6. Hewitt then lost in the first round of Delray Beach to Yen-Hsun Lu, the eighth seed, 5–7, 6–2, 2–6. Hewitt also competed in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, and reached the second round, being defeated by Fernando González.
At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Hewitt played Israeli Dudi Sela in the first round. Hewitt lost the first set, before recovering to win the match, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3. Hewitt was then defeated by seventh seed Gilles Simon of France, 1–6, 2–6.
At the 2009 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Hewitt defeated seventh seed Diego Junqueira, 6–0, 6–2. Hewitt advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Sergio Roitman, 6–1, 6–3, in just 57 minutes, and then defeated Guillermo García López, 6–3, 6–4, to advance to the semifinals, where he defeated Evgeny Korolev, 7–6(4), 6–4. He defeated Wayne Odesnik in the final, 6–2, 7–5, for his first title since 2007 and his first clay-court title in a decade.
Hewitt entered the Monte Carlo Masters as a wild card. He lost in the first round, 4–6, 5–7 to Marat Safin. Hewitt admitted to running out of energy in the second set.[citation needed]
At the 2009 BMW Open, Hewitt recorded his 500th career win after defeating Philipp Petzschner in the first round, becoming one of only four active players to achieve this milestone; the others being Roger Federer and Carlos Moyà. Andy Roddick would later achieve this feat at the 2009 Legg Mason Tennis Classic Tournament in Washington, D.C..
In the 2009 French Open, he defeated 26th seed Ivo Karlović in five sets, 6–7(1) 6–7(4) 7–6(4) 6–4 6–3 in the first round, and then defeated Andrey Golubev, 6–4, 6–3, 6–1, in the second. He lost to no. 1 Rafael Nadal, 1–6, 3–6, 1–6, in the third round.
Lleyton's next tournament was the 2009 AEGON Championships in London. He was 15th seed and drew Eduardo Schwank in the first round, who he easily dispatched, 6–1 6–0. In the second round, he went three sets against Portuguese Frederico Gil. Hewitt dropped the first set, but went on to win, 3–6 6–2 6–2. Former rival Andy Roddick awaited Lleyton in the third round, and the match certainly did not disappoint. As they have many times in the past, the former world no. 1 players battled through a tough and intense match, which Roddick ended up taking. Hewitt lost in a thrilling 6–7(4), 6–7(2) match.
Hewitt at the Wimbledon Championships 2009
In the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Hewitt faced the prospect of Rafael Nadal in the second round. However, Nadal withdrew due to injury, and his slot was replaced by world no. 5 Juan Martín del Potro. Hewitt defeated American Robby Ginepri, 6–4, 6–1, 6–1, in the first round. Hewitt used his strong service game to advantage, losing only one service game the entire match. He upended Del Potro in straight sets, 6–3, 7–5, 7–5. The third round also produced a straight-set victory for Hewitt, as he defeated Philipp Petzschner, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–3. He reversed a two-set deficit to defeat Radek Štěpánek in the fourth round, 4–6 2–6 6–1 6–2 6–2. It was another classic Hewitt fightback to thrill the many Australians on hand to witness the match. His Cinderella run ended in the quarterfinals against sixth seed Andy Roddick. It was a five-set thriller which featured two tiebreaks. Hewitt lost a heartbreaking 3–6, 7–6 (10), 6–7 (1), 6–4, 4–6 match.[11] It was the first time Lleyton had reached the quarterfinals of a Major since the 2006 U.S. Open.
After an extended break, Hewitt began working his way into the U.S Open series by playing in Washington at the Legg Mason Classic. There Hewitt made it into the third round, before losing in a three-set battle with Juan Martín del Potro, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7. At the Montreal Masters, Hewitt lost in the first round to former world no. 1, Juan Carlos Ferrero, 1–6, 4–6. Cincinnati saw Hewitt reach the quarterfinals for the sixth time, where he lost to Roger Federer in straight sets. During the first round of the tournament, Hewitt showed his trademark fighting abilities by saving two match points to win against an in-form Robin Söderling.[12] At the U.S Open, Hewitt progressed into the third round, where he played Federer for the 23rd time of their decade-long rivalry. Hewitt managed to take the first set 6–4 from Federer, before the 15-time Grand Slam champion took control of the second. The third set was tight, and both players saved multiple break points. Federer eventually prevailed the match in four sets, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4.[13]
In late September, Hewitt travelled to Malaysia for his first time to take part in the inaugural Malaysian Open held in Kuala Lumpur.[14] The new tournament was part of the ATP's new dedicated Asian swing. Hewitt lost, 6–7, 3–6, in the first round to Swedish player Joachim Johansson.[15] In Tokyo, Hewitt was drawn to once again meet del Potro in the quarterfinals, but was given a clear path when del Potro was knocked out by qualifier Édouard Roger-Vasselin in the first round. After defeating Fabrice Santoro in the second round, Hewitt downed Roger-Vasselin, 6–4, 6–0, to reach his first semifinals since winning the US Men's Clay Court Championships in April, but lost to Mikhail Youzhny, 2–6, 7–5, 5–7. He then competed in the 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, where he won in the first round, defeating John Isner, 6–2, 6–4, before losing to Gaël Monfils, 6–4, 4–6, 2–6.
Hewitt began his 2010 season partnering Samantha Stosur at the Hopman Cup. The Australians were the top seeds for the exhibition tournament. They, however, fared worse than expected, losing ties against Romania and Spain, and therefore failing to reach the final.
He was seeded fourth in the Medibank International and, like the previous year, reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Marcos Baghdatis. At the Australian Open, he lost to Roger Federer in the fourth round, 2–6, 3–6, 4–6.
A week after his exit from the Australian Open, Hewitt announced at a press conference at Melbourne Park that he underwent another hip operation similar to his left hip operation this time on his right hip on 28 January 2010 in Hobart.
Hewitt returned to the tour at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships as the singles defending champion.[16] He won his first match since the Australian Open, partnering coach Nathan Healey in the doubles, defeating James Cerretani and Adil Shamasdin, 7–6, 7–5, but lost to top seeds the Bryan brothers in the semifinals, 2–6, 6–7. Hewitt received a first-round bye, as he was seeded fourth in singles. In his first match, against lucky loser Somdev Devvarman, Hewitt dropped the first set, before battling to win in three sets, 1–6, 6–0, 7–6. He then lost to Juan Ignacio Chela, 4–6, 3–6. Hewitt's next tournament was scheduled to be the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. However, he withdrew due to a recurring injury.
Hewitt then reached the second round in Barcelona, before losing to Eduardo Schwank, and lost in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia to Guillermo García López, 2–6, 3–6. Hewitt then travelled back to Australia to parcicipate in a Davis Cup tie against Japan, winning his two singles matches.
At the French Open, Hewitt reached the third round, before losing 3–6, 4–6, 3–6 to Rafael Nadal, who went on to win the title without dropping a set and take the no. 1 ranking.
On 13 June, Hewitt defeated Roger Federer, 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–4, in the final of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, a grass-court tuneup for Wimbledon Championships. The win was Hewitt's first over Federer since 2003 and snapped a 15-match losing streak against the Swiss.
At Wimbledon, Hewitt was seeded 15th and lost to third seed, Novak Djokovic in the fourth round. After dropping the first two sets, Hewitt took advantage of a stomach illness had by Djokovic to take the third set. However, Hewitt could not mount a comeback, and ended up losing in four sets, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 4–6.
At the Atlanta Tennis Championship, Hewitt lost in the first round to Lukáš Lacko, 4–6, 2–6. After receiving a first-round bye at the Legg Mason Classic, Hewitt retired in the second round due to a leg injury. He pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Toronto in order to recover, and returned in Cincinnati. Hewitt defeated Yen-Hsun Lu in the opening round, 6–4, 4–0 retired, before losing in three sets to fifth seed Robin Söderling, 6–4, 3–6, 5–7.
Hewitt was 32nd seed at the US Open and lost his first-round match to Paul-Henri Mathieu in five sets, 3–6, 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 1–6. It was his earliest exit at the US Open. He withdrew from the Asian hard-court swing due to a wrist injury suffered during the Australian Davis Cup playoff loss to Belgium.[citation needed]
Hewitt began his 15th season on the ATP Tour at the Hopman Cup in Perth. He defeated his Belgian opponent Ruben Bemelmans, 6–4, 6–3, and went on to win the tie for Australia with a three-set victory in the mixed doubles, partnering Alicia Molik. He next played world no. 3 Novak Djokovic, but lost in straight sets. For his final singles match of the tournament, he played Kazakhstani Andrey Golubev, defeating him in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3.
After the Hopman Cup, Hewitt competed in the AAMI Kooyong Classic, an exhibitional tournament in the build-up to the Australian Open. He started the tournament solidly, taking out third seed Mikhail Youzhny, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4. In the second round, he defeated Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6–3, 7–6. In the final, he defeated Frenchman Gaël Monfils 7–5, 6–3. It was the first time that Hewitt had played in the tournament.
At the Australian Open, Hewitt was defeated in the first round, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 61-7, 7–9, by Argentina's David Nalbandian. Hewitt was up two sets to one and during the fourth set had the chance to finish off the match, when the scores were 3–1 and 0–40 in Hewitt's favour, but failed to capitalise on the situation. Furthermore, Hewitt had two match point opportunities in the final set to close out victory. However, one of these was met with an excellent drop shot from Nalbandian, and he went on to save the other, securing victory.
After the Australian Open, Hewitt participated in the SAP Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event. He defeated his first-round opponent Björn Phau, 6–3, 6–3, and proceeded to the second round against Brian Dabul. Hewitt had some problems with Dabul, losing the first set, but managed to defeat him, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3. In the quarterfinals, Hewitt played against former US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro, who was on a comeback from a wrist injury. In a weak performance, Hewitt lost, 2–6, 3–6.
The next tournament that Hewitt took part in was the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup, an ATP World Tour 500 event in Memphis, Tennessee. Hewitt played Lu Yen-Hsun in the opening round, which he won, 6–4, 7–6. He advanced to the second round against Adrian Mannarino. Despite losing the first set, Hewitt defeated Mannarino, 6–7, 7–5, 6–0. In the quarterfinals, Hewitt played top seed Andy Roddick. Despite being a set up, Hewitt lost the match, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6.
Hewitt then played in the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. His first-round opponent was Chinese Taipei's Lu Yen-Hsun. This was the second time in a row the two had played each other in the first round, and he suffered a shock 2–6, 3–6 defeat. This was to be Hewitt's last event on the ATP Tour for over three months after he underwent surgery on his left foot.
Hewitt made his comeback at the 2011 Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, where he returned as defending champion. He was originally scheduled to face top seed Roger Federer in the opening round. However, the Swiss withdrew after reaching the final of the French Open. Hewitt therefore took on an alternate from Argentina, Leonardo Mayer and came through the match comfortably winning, 6–2, 6–3. In the second round, he played Andreas Seppi and defeated him, 6–4, 6–4. However, Hewitt's reign as champion of Halle came to an end at the hands of home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber, when the Australian went down in straight sets, 6–7, 3–6. During this match, Hewitt turned his ankle when he came in to the net to try to reach a net cord ball. The following week, Hewitt had to retire during a first round match at the AEGON International against Olivier Rochus at 2–6, 0–3. This was a result of the niggling ankle injury he had picked up at Halle the week before.
Hewitt came into Wimbledon with doubts over his fitness and condition and furthermore was unseeded in the 2011 Wimbledon Championships draw. Hewitt faced Kei Nishikori of Japan in the first round and won in four close sets, 6–1, 7–6, 6–7, 6–3. In the second round, Hewitt faced fifth seed Robin Soderling. Hewitt won the first set in a tiebreak 7–6(7–5) and the second set 6–3. Soderling fought back to take the match in five sets, 7–6, 6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 4–6.
Hewitt's next tournament was the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour 250 event and first event on the US hard-court swing. Hewitt won his first-round match against the American qualifier Phillip Simmonds in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4, to advance to the second round, where he lost to the American qualifier Rajeev Ram, 5–7, 6–2, 2–6. After this defeat, Hewitt who had been scheduled to play in Los Angeles the following week, opted not to take up the offer of a wildcard and withdrew from the event to recover from his foot injury. He then was offered a wild card to play at the 2011 US Open, but was unable to play due foot injury which ended his season.
Hewitt began his 2012 season at the Hopman Cup. In the opening singles tie against Spain, Hewitt lost in singles to Fernando Verdasco 3–6, 6–3, 5–7. For the mixed doubles match, Hewitt partnered with Jarmila Gajdosova. They lost the match in three sets 6–3, 3–6, 19–11, despite being 5–1 up in the final set tie-breaker. In the second tie against France, Hewitt lost to Richard Gasquet 2–6, 7–5, 1–6 in singles and in straight sets in mixed doubles. In the final tie against China, Hewitt defeated Wu Di in straight sets 6–4, 7–5, and won the mixed doubles match. His next tournament was the Apia International, where he lost in the first round against Serbian fifth seed Viktor Troicki 6–4, 3–6, 2–6.
His next tournament was the 2012 Australian Open. In doubles, partnering countryman Peter Luczak, the Aussies went until the 2nd round where they lost in straight sets to the Bryan Twins. In singles, where he was awarded a wildcard, Hewitt won his first round match defeating unseeded Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in almost four hours: 7–5, 6–4, 3–6, 7–5. Long-time rival Andy Roddick, who was seeded 15th, awaited Hewitt in the second round. After dropping the first set, Hewitt won the next two. Roddick then retired due to a groin injury and Hewitt advanced: 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 ret. In the third round, he faced the 23rd seed Milos Raonic of Canada. Playing at night in front of a boisterous Aussie crowd, Hewitt dispatched Raonic 4–6, 6–3, 7–6, 6–3 in 3 hours 6 minutes. In the 4th round, Hewitt faced returning champ and world number one Novak Djokovic. Djokovic won the 1st two sets fairly easily, and was leading 3–0 in the 3rd set when Hewitt launched a spirited comeback, taking the set 6–4. Djokovic eventually prevailed however, winning the match 6–1, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, ending Hewitt's run. Lleyton's two next matches were in february at the Davis Cup, where he won 1 singles and 1 doubles match partnering Chris Guccione, what awarded Australia to go to the playoffs once more. After this Hewitt needed an operation to have a plate inserted in his toe. He returned with a wildcard at the French Open where he lost in the first round.
Hewitt was a part of the Australian Davis Cup Team that won the Davis Cup in 1999 and 2003 and reached the final in 2000 and 2001. By the age of 22, he had recorded more wins in Davis Cup singles than any other Australian player.
In 2003, Hewitt led the Australian team to victory when he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening rubber, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–2.
In the 2006 quarterfinals in Melbourne, Hewitt defeated Belarusian Vladimir Voltchkov, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2, in just 91 minutes. Voltchkov said before the match that "Hewitt has no weapons to hurt me." Hewitt responded, "Voltchkov doesn't have a ranking [of 457] to hurt me." In the semifinals in Buenos Aires on clay, Hewitt lost to Argentine José Acasuso, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4, 2–6, 1–6.
In the 2011 playoffs, he played against Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in a grass court in Sydney, losing both matches. In doubles, together with Chris Guccione, he was able to defeat Federer and Wawrinka, but this was not enough to take Australia to the World Group.
Lleyton's next matches at the Davis Cup were in february against China at Australia: in singles, he won Ze Zhang 6–2, 6–1, 7–6(4) at the 4th match of the draw. In doubles, partnering Chris Guccione, he won Zhe Li and Ze Zhang triple 6–2.
Peter Smith, Darren Cahill, Jason Stoltenberg, Roger Rasheed, Scott Draper, Tony Roche, Nathan Healey and Brett Smith are all former coaches of Hewitt. Hewitt is currently coached by Tony Roche. This is Roche's second spell as Hewitt's coach.
Lleyton Hewitt's coaches in his time on the ATP Tour:
Tony Roche became Hewitt's coach for the second time in November 2010.[17]
Hewitt is a defensive baseline counterpuncher. He typically likes to stay back towards the baseline during a rally and will usually approach the net only to catch a short reply or drop shot from his opponent. At the 2004 Cincinnati Masters Final, commentator MaliVai Washington said that Hewitt was even more difficult to "ace" than Agassi because he gets more returns in play. Hewitt's tactics typically involve putting difficult service returns in play, consistently chasing down attempted winning shots from his opponent, and waiting for his opponent to make an error.
Although he is known primarily as a baseline defender, Hewitt is a skilled volleyer and is known for having one of the best overhead smashes in the game. His signature shot, however, is the offensive topspin lob, a shot that he executes efficiently off both wings when his opponent approaches the net. US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe and Jim Courier have both described Hewitt's lob as being the best in the world.[citation needed]
In Andre Agassi's book "Open", Hewitt is described as one of the best shot selectors in the history of Men's Tennis.[18]
- 2001–ATP Player of the Year
- 2001–Most Popular South Australian
- 2002–ATP Player of the Year
- 2002–Australia's Male Athlete
- 2002–ESPY Best Male Tennis Player
- 2003–Young Australian of the Year
- 2003–Vogue Australia Sportsman of the Year
- 2003–Most Popular South Australian
Hewitt is currently sponsored by the Japanese sports manufacturer Yonex, with whom he signed a "Head to Toe" deal in late 2005, after being sponsored by Nike. Yonex provides all of Hewitt's clothing, racquets, shoes and accessories.[19] Hewitt's Yonex shoes (SHT-306) are inscribed with his nickname "Rusty" along with an image of an Australian flag. As of 7 August 2007, his first appearance with a new racquet at the Montreal Masters, Hewitt used to use the Yonex RQiS 1 Tour. He used to use the Yonex RDS tour 90 Model, but switched to the Yonex RDiS 100 mid in 2009. In 2011, he switched to Yonex VCORE 95 D, using a grip size of 4 3/8 (L3). Since mid 2011, he began alternating between Yonex, Nike and Adidas shoes.
Hewitt is a keen supporter of Australian rules football, having played the game earlier in his career and is currently the joint No.1 ticket holder for the Adelaide Crows, alongside MP and Cabinet member Kate Ellis.[20] He once had a close friendship with Crows star Andrew McLeod, but this broke down over much public controversy in 2005.[21] It was not long before this that Hewitt produced a DVD titled Lleyton Hewitt: The Other Side which precipitated the falling out between him and McLeod over certain filming of Aboriginal sites.
Hewitt and Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters started a relationship in January 2000, during the Australian Open. The two announced their engagement just before Christmas 2003, but separated in October 2004, cancelling a planned February 2005 wedding.[22]
On 30 January 2005, shortly after losing the 2005 Australian Open final to Marat Safin, Hewitt proposed to Australian actress Bec Cartwright after they had been dating for just six weeks. They married on 21 July 2005 and had three children. Their first child, a daughter named Mia Rebecca Hewitt, was born on 29 November 2005.[23] Their second child, a son named Cruz Lleyton Hewitt, was born on 11 December 2008.[24] Their third child, a daughter named Ava Sydney, was born on 19 October 2010.[25]
In late 2008, to extend his tennis career and reduce the amount of tax he would otherwise have had to pay, the couple relocated for the European and North American season to their future holiday home in the Old Fort Bay estate, in Nassau, Bahamas.[26]
Hewitt maintains a second residence in Nassau, Bahamas where he stays during off-time in the American hard court season.[27]
Lleyton Hewitt has been involved in a number of controversial incidents of which the most notorious was his protest to Swiss umpire Andreas Egli regarding an African-American linesman, who Hewitt insinuated was biased in favour of James Blake at the 2001 U.S. Open. Hewitt protested: "Look at him (the linesman) and you tell me what the similarity is (beckoning towards Blake)", and "I want him off the court, I've only been foot-faulted up one end. Look at what he's done." Hewitt later denied accusations of racism, asserting that he was not "racial (sic) in any way."[28]
At the French Open of the same year, Hewitt was involved in yet more controversy when he twice called match officials "spastic." Following his outbursts, a complaint was received from the Cerebral Palsy Association in Australia. Hewitt later apologised, stating "If I did say that in the heat of the battle, then I apologise. I didn't intend to offend anyone."[29]
- ^ Margie McDonald (11 December 2009). "Lleyton Hewitt calls Bahamas home". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/lleyton-hewitt-calls-bahamas-home/story-e6frg7mf-1225809212258. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ See pronunciation of Lleyton Hewitt.
- ^ "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era (33–36)". TENNIS Magazine. 17 May 2006. http://www.tennis.com/features/40greatest/40greatest.aspx?id=502. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- ^ "Hewitt stuns Sampras, lifts US Open crown – Always had drive to succeed". The Tribune. India: The Tribune Trust. 10 September 2001. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010911/sports.htm. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ AIS at the Olympics
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt – Career Highlights". ATP. 21 September 2009. http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Lleyton-Hewitt.aspx. Retrieved 21 September 2000.
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt – Career Highlights". ATP. 29 September 2009. http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Lleyton-Hewitt.aspx. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
- ^ "Hewitt wins Las Vegas ATP title". Reuters. 5 March 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927001448/http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Hewitt_wins_Las_Vegas_ATP_title_03052007.html. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt hires celebrated tennis coach Tony Roche". International Herald Tribune. 18 July 2007. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/18/sports/AS-SPT-TEN-Hewitt-Roche.php. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ "Saturday Night Fever". Tennis Australia. 20 January 2008. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-20/200801201200788933421.html.
- ^ Bevan, Chris (1 July 2009). "Roddick win sets up Murray clash". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8129659.stm. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ^ "Hewitt Saves Match Points in Win". BBC Sport. 18 August 2009. http://www.cincytennis.com/Global/News/2009/08/M_Tuesday_Recap.aspx. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ "Federer bends but does not break against Hewitt". USOpen.org. 5 September 2009. http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/match_reports/2009-09-05/200909051252176811015.html. Retrieved 10 September 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "The Last Time... With Lleyton Hewitt". ATP World Tour. 26 August 2009. http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE-Tennis/DEUCE-US-Open-2009/Lleyton-Hewitt-Last-Time.aspx. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt falls flat against Joachim Johansson". ATP World Tour. 30 August 2009. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26145949-2722,00.html. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ Kerry O'Keeffe (30 January 2010). "ABC Sport – Hewitt undergoes second hip operation". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/30/2805677.htm. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ Schlink, Leo (26 November 2010). "Roche to coach Lleyton Hewitt". Herald Sun. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/roche-to-coach-lleyton-hewitt-20101126-18ah3.html. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt earns praise from Andre Agassi". Herald Sun. 31 December 2009. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tennis/lleyton-hewitt-earns-praise-from-andre-agassi/story-e6frfgao-1225814846611. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ "PDF of Yonex Press Release" (PDF). Yonexusa.com. http://www.yonexusa.com/content/Lleyton_contact.pdf. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
- ^ "Kate Ellis joins Crows" (Press release). Adelaide Football Club. 28 March 2011. http://www.afc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4417/newsid/109965/default.aspx. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ Gregory, Peter (20 October 2005). "Hewitt and McLeod in court". The Age (Australia). http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/hewitt-and-mcleod-in-court/2005/10/20/1129775882381.html. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
- ^ "Hewitt and Clijsters reveal split". BBC Sport. 22 October 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/3345341.stm. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt". Tennis Warehouse. http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/player.html?ccode=LHEWITT. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
- ^ Lleyton Hewitt Welcomes New Son 16 December 2008
- ^ "Hewitts want cash to reveal their baby's name". The Herald Sun. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/hewitts-want-cash-to-reveal-their-babys-name/story-e6frf96o-1225944363281. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ "Lleyton Hewitt's $3.8m beachside hideaway". 10 June 2009. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25613192-661,00.html. [dead link]
- ^ CBS Sports, Dick Enberg on-air comments
- ^ Harman, Neil (1 September 2001). "US Open Crowd chide racist Hewitt". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/usopen/3011926/US-Open-Crowd-chide-racist-Hewitt.html. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
- ^ Parsons, John (5 June 2001). "French Open Kuerten takes familiar route in search of title". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/frenchopen/3006790/French-Open-Kuerten-takes-familiar-route-in-search-of-title.html. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
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Lleyton Hewitt's Achievements
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- ATP singles rankings since inception on August 23, 1973
- (year first held/year last held – number of weeks (w))
- current No. 1 in bold, as of May 28, 2012
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Hewitt, Lleyton Glynn |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Australian tennis player |
| Date of birth |
24 February 1981 |
| Place of birth |
Adelaide, Australia |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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External images
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