He is fast, he is stylish and he is amongst the few players to have won two Grand Slam events in the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Lleyton Hewitt comes from the land of tennis legend Rod Laver, and might not be amongst the top ten players in the world, but he has the ability to win when the chips are down, and the going gets tough.
The former world number 1 from Australia may not have been in best of forms in his recent appearances at Wimbledon, but the former champion has served a reminder to both his fans and detractors by recently defeating Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.
Born 24 February, 1981, Hewitt has seen the highs and lows in professional tennis, being ranked World No. 1 in 2001, at the age of 20. His reign as the top player ended with Roger Federer’s ascent, but it seems he has shown the glimpse of talent that helped him become the youngest male ever to be ranked number one.
The Australian also gave tough time to Rafael Nadal, the current number 1 during the French Open, and although he lost the match, he was praised for his performance. Once rated as one of the most explosive youngsters on the tennis circuit, Hewitt stormed towards stardom when he downed Pete Sampras to clinch the 2001 US Open and Argentinean David Nalbandian in 2002 Wimbledon singles. But since then, his form has deserted him. Since winning Wimbledon eight years back, Hewitt has reached the semifinals just once, in 2005. Thrice he has faltered in the quarterfinals, twice in the 4th round and as defending champion, he was knocked out in the 1st round.
But he is known for his skilled footwork and competitiveness, and will be looking to make use of his form this year. He nearly downed better-ranked Marcos Baghdatis in the third round (the Cypriot retired during the match) and set a clash with Roger Federer who emerged victorious. But not even the score line of 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 suggests that Hewitt gave Federer a tough time. Last week, he had his revenge when he defeated Federer 3–6, 7–6 (4), 6–4 in the final of the Gerry Weber Open, which was his first win over the Swiss since 2003, snapping a 15-match losing streak as well.
The Australian recently admitted that after his second hip operation earlier this year, upstaging Roger Federer was the last thing on his mind. He also said that he took most heart from the encouraging result having come in a final.
The amount of confidence the former Wimbledon champion is enjoying this year can be judged from the fact that he ditched his traditional warm-up at Queen's this year to play in Halle, Germany. The reason was not change of venue but change of opponent‘s quality. Hewitt didn't want to win against second rate players but excel against the best, and he did so in style by defeating Roger Federer.
The win was Hewitt's first on grass since Queen's in 2006, and brought a rise in his ATP rankings to No. 26 from No. 32, and he also got a better seeding ahead of the Wimbledon starting next week. With luck and form on his side, Hewitt is all geared up to take back what was once his, to reclaim the trophy that has since changed hands just twice!
So can Roger Federer be dethroned at Wimbledon by the player against whom he won 15 consecutive matches in 6 years? Can the Australian use all his experience to surprise at the All England club and take the crown one more time? It remains to be seen whether the player from down under, with the best offensive topspin lob in the game, as described by Jim Courier, can work his way back to the title he held in 2002. But one thing is for certain, Hewitt will not go down like his last few attempts at Wimbledon. This time, it will be something special from the former world number one!
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