Lleyton Hewitt created many iconic moments throughout his career. Whether it was grinding opponents down deep into the night with his relentless play or unleashing a massive “C’mon!’ with his signature lawnmower celebration, the Australian earned fans throughout the world with his work ethic and competitive spirit.
From stepping into the spotlight aged 15 by qualifying for the Australian Open through the end of his illustrious career two decades later, Hewitt made his mark by embracing challenges. That is why on Saturday, he will be enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“I did love tennis in terms of being in control of my own destiny every time I went on the court. It was just you against your opponent out there,” Hewitt told ATPTour.com. “I loved how you had to think outside of the box as well. If things weren’t going well, you had to come up with a different plan to try and work out how you were going to change something around out there on your own. I loved those challenges of it.”
Hewitt never shied away from tough tests, even as a kid. When the Australian was 12, dressed in Andre Agassi’s kit, he visited the home of his future coach, Darren Cahill, and challenged him to play sets. After losing the first two sets against a man who had just left the Tour, Lleyton’s father, Glynn, tried to give him advice.
“Zip it Glynny boy, I’ve got this,” Hewitt quickly said, according to Cahill. Lleyton never backed down as a kid. Some things never change.
Cahill: Hewitt’s Journey From ‘Little Mongrel’ To Hall Of Famer
He is unsure exactly where that mentality came from, but attributes at least part of it to his roots in AFL Football, which was his first choice in his pre-teen years. His father also played the sport professionally.
No matter who was across the net and regardless of the circumstances, Hewitt gave it his all throughout his career. Although that was evident from his early days on Tour, like when he defeated Agassi en route to the Adelaide title in 1998 as a 16-year-old, that became clear to the wider sports world at the 2001 US Open.
One year earlier he had made the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows, losing to Pete Sampras. This time in the last four, he faced former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, one of his early rivals. At the time, Hewitt had won four of their five matches, but defeating a two-time singles major winner in the…
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