Lleyton HewittLleyton Hewitt’s 2015 Wimbledon campaign ended earlier this week for men’s singles when he lost a first round match to Finnish player Jarkko Nieminen. The match was special, not just because it went to 11-9 in the fifth set, but also because it likely marked the end of a brilliant grass court career.

Hewitt, at an earlier point in the current season, announced that he would retire following the 2016 Australian Open. That being the case and barring a change in plans the Aussie will not contest any professional singles event at the All England Club again. So with his grass court tennis behind him, now is a good time to look back on a distinguished career that is coming to a close.

lleyton_hewitt_teenIn Hewitt’s early years it appeared that the hard court surface, and not the grass court surface, would be his best one. His first distinguished result in a major came on the cement as Hewitt made the semifinals of the 2000 US Open, losing in that match to Pete Sampras.

But the following year Hewitt would win the title at Flushing Meadows, not only by avenging his prior loss to Sampras, but also by eliminating Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Andy Roddick, and Tommy Haas. Hardly a survivor of a soft draw, three of the players in that quartet, Sampras, Roddick, and Kafelnikov, peaked as World No. 1s during their careers.

The 2001 title would prove to be Hewitt’s only title from New York however it also proved to play a major part in the history of the ATP rankings.

Shortly after winning the US Open title, Hewitt became the World No. 1 player and, to date, he remains the youngest player to have ever ascended to the top of men’s tennis. 20 years old at the time of the accomplishment, Hewitt would hold the World No. 1 ranking for 75 consecutive weeks. He would eventually lose the top-spot to Andre Agassi for a short time, before holding it again for another five weeks to account for the 80 total weeks he spent on top of the world of tennis during his career.

lleyton_hewitt3It’s this accomplishment that makes him one of the greatest player’s in the history of the ATP rankings. While 80 weeks does not compare to the likes of Sampras, McEnroe, Federer, and some others Hewitt still spent more time on top than former World No. 1s such as Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Accordingly, Hewitt’s place as one of the greatest players in the history of the ATP rankings is clear and it was during his time as the top player on tour that he accomplished most of what he is remembered for.

But, despite his accomplishments, the peak of his career was not without adversity. Following the US Open title in 2001, Hewitt entered every tournament that he played in as either the favorite to win or one of the favorites to win. That included the 2002 Australian Open, an event played in his home country and one perhaps most remembered for producing what could be the most upside-down draw ever in men’s Grand Slam singles.

At Melbourne Park in 2002 seeded players, including top-seeded Hewitt, fell in droves in the early rounds. By the quarterfinals, no one seeded higher than No. 7 remained in the draw and even he, Tommy Haas, failed to make the final. Hewitt, after losing to an unheralded Alberto Martin, was sidelined as the 2002 Australian Open went to Thomas Johannson, a talented Swede but one of the lesser players of his generation on the global stage.

Hewitt’s fortunes changed immediately following the 2002 Aussie. He won ATP San Jose with a win over Andre Agassi in the final, Hewitt won Indian Wells at the expense of both Sampras and Tim Henman, and the Aussie placed well in Miami as well. Heading into the clay court season, Hewitt appeared to have some momentum however the clay events that followed failed to produce an appearance in any final. Even at Roland Garros, where Hewitt had made the quarters in 2001, he fell relatively early for the World No. 1 player, losing to Guillermo Canas in the fourth round.

Tennis fans that had grown up on Agassi and Sampras in the 1990s were used to seeing dominance from the World No. 1 with only the occasional blip. However, despite the titles in both San Jose and Indian Wells, halfway through 2002 in some ways Hewitt was the World No. 1 that no one was scared to face. Entering the grass court season that year, the pressure was clearly on and the Aussie, in a month that perhaps best defined his career, proved what he was made of.

Hewitt won Queen’s Club to open his grass court campaign ahead of pulling out of another event mid-tournament the following week. That withdrawal gave him some time to both rest and prepare for his draw at the All England Club, preparation that clearly showed in Wimbledon 2002’s early rounds.

Hewitt cruised through the first four rounds of that event, beating all he drew in straight sets. In the late rounds, the only player that challenged Hewitt was Sjeng Schalken while neither Henman nor rival David Nalbandian was able to stay on court with the Aussie for more than three sets. What resulted was a second Grand Slam title for the World No. 1 and a silencing of the critics – if only for the time being.

Following play at the All England Club, Hewitt did not win another title in 2002 until the Tennis Masters Cup, a tournament that is analogous to the modern ATP World Tour Finals. While he ended the year ranked No. 1 it was still clear that he was not invincible.

In the years ahead, Hewitt’s esteem faded as Roger Federer emerged as the dominant player on tour. From 2004 until Halle 2010, Hewitt would not know victory over the Swiss Maestro, a series of losses that cost the Aussie the 2004 US Open title among other opportunities.

lleyton_hewitt2However to date, the Aussie has 30 tour-level titles to his credit including one from as early as 1999 and two from as late as 2014. Furthermore Hewitt, in his only strong showing at Melbourne Park, made the final of the 2005 Aussie, losing to Marat Safin.

Although Hewitt’s ranking has not been all that impressive for several years now, the fact that he has tour-level titles fifteen years apart illustrates that, ranked high or low and aged young or old, he has always been a dangerous player on tour. It’s true that while his body has failed at times in the latter stages of his career, his drive never has and nor has his mind for the game.

Even with his career highlights mostly coming from more than a decade ago now, Hewitt remains a player that will never be taken lightly. When he plays his final match at Melbourne Park 2016 it will almost certainly be in a losing effort. However up until the final point played, tennis fans will expect fire, gritted teeth, frustration with failure, passion, determination, and seemingly angry eyebrows above deeply focused eyes.

His place among the greats will be debated and most will surely put him behind such contemporaries as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and Novak Djokovic. However with two Grand Slam titles and 80 weeks on top of the world, if he’s given his fair shake then Hewitt’s place on the list of the greatest players in the Open Era should be within the Top 20.

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