"Going head-to-head with two all-time greats in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in their prime made it challenging" - Darren Cahill on Lleyton Hewitt
Tennis coach and former player Darren Cahill has said that Lleyton Hewitt was unlucky in his career because of the injuries he had to deal with along with the emergence of generational talents like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
A 20-year-old Hewitt became the youngest male player to be ranked World No. 1 after winning the 2001 Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney. He also won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, beating four-time champion Pete Sampras in straight sets in the final.
Hewitt added to his Major collection at Wimbledon the following year, but a string of injuries and the rise of Federer and Nadal stymied his progress. He won four of his first five matches against both players but went on to lose 15 matches in a row against Federer and six against Nadal.
Nevertheless, the Australian had a successful career and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, this week.
Lleyton Hewitt: Hall of Famer. 🇦🇺
Congratulations, Rusty!
#EnshrinementWeekend | @lleytonhewitt https://t.co/nPx2kskxAN
Recalling Hewitt's early days as a promising youngster, Cahill said that he was different from others and bound for greatness.
"Damn, this kid is good. He’s going to be something special. Lleyton’s DNA was different to most," said Cahill.
"He took an individual sport and turned his matches into a team sport environment, pulling on his Aussie Rules background to rally the people around him like team-mates. There was nothing solo about his performances and he wasn’t scared to get involved in a scrap," he added.
Cahill stated that his compatriot was unlucky to deal with multiple injuries and also the emergence of Federer and Nadal.
"He got unlucky with several injuries in his mid 20s that halted adding to his resume and going head-to-head with two all-time greats in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in their prime made it challenging. Regardless, he will always be able to look back on his career and be proud with no regrets," he said.
Hewitt ended his career with a 25-13 cumulative head-to-head record against Federer (9-18) and Nadal (4-7).
"He's a role model for believing in the impossible, and then making the impossible a reality" - Darren Cahill on Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt was the epitome of competitiveness, playing his heart out on the court and leaving nothing to chance.
Although his reign at No. 1 was relatively short-lived - 80 weeks - considering his potential, Hewitt has indeed had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, with over 600 singles match wins and 30 titles.
The Australian is one of the youngest winners of an ATP singles title, winning the Adelaide title in 1998 just two months shy of his 17th birthday. Only Aaron Kirkstein and Michael Chang were younger than Lleyton Hewitt when they first triumphed on the tour.
#OnThisDay in 1998 - at the age of 16 years and 10 months - @LleytonHewitt became the youngest winner of an ATP singles title 👏
A career of entertaining and winning followed... https://t.co/mIgNkBpVHM
He failed to win his home Grand Slam - the Australian Open - falling in the final to Marat Safin in 2005. However, Hewitt's legacy is undeniable.
"Lleyton left an important legacy in competing for Australia and setting a standard of training and competition that every generation should look up to," said Cahill.
"He’s a role model for believing in the impossible, and then making the impossible a reality. He left nothing to chance and loved every single second of his journey. He had purpose, he bounced back through resilience, he oozed belief and he had an unmatched work ethic. And yeah, he had the heart of a lion and the mind of a velociraptor," he added.
The 41-year-old Hewitt is currently the captain of Australia's Davis Cup team.