“I was able to compete against three of the greatest tennis players our sport has ever seen in Federer, Nadal and Djokovic" - Lleyton Hewitt in his Tennis Hall of Fame induction speech
Former Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Sunday. Former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam winner Hewitt, considered one of the best players of his generation, was honored at an event amid friends and family.
He was the youngest World No. 1 in the men's side of the sport when he clinched the top spot in the rankings in 2001. Hewitt is also a two-time winner (2001, 2002) of the World Tour Finals.
In his speech, the fiery Australian spoke about facing some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. Hewitt spoke about his matches against the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal while also recalling his performances against Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
"I feel fortunate that I was able to play across different generations. I was able to be on the same court as my heroes that I looked up to, like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, and then go on and compete against three of the greatest tennis players our sport has ever seen in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic," Lleyton Hewitt said.
The Aussie said that he expected to be a part of the Hall Of Fame when he was a player.
"The Hall of Fame seemed like something that was so far away from me ever being part of. It was never something I ever thought about as a player, and it was always, I thought, for the people that were my idols growing up and the absolute legends of the sport," Hewitt said.
“The Hall of Fame seemed like something that was so far away from me ever being part of."
Read more on @lleytonhewitt's Newport @TennisHalloFame induction: ⤵️
Lleyton Hewitt's record against the Big Three
Of the Big Three, Lleyton Hewitt recorded the most wins against Roger Federer. In their 27 meetings, the Australian won nine matches while the Swiss maestro won 18. Hewitt won their first three meetings and seven out of their first nine matches, while Federer won 16 of their next 18 matches.
Hewitt picked up just a single win against Novak Djokovic in seven matches, which came in their first-ever meeting at the 2006 US Open. They last faced each other at the 2012 Olympics, where the Serb emerged as the victor in three sets.
“He’s been a great player for Australia in many ways.” 💚💛
From one great to another - Ken Rosewall reflects on @lleytonhewitt’s career ahead of his @TennisHalloFame induction. https://t.co/5HtR4D0i6O
Hewitt's record against Rafael Nadal is a lot more even keel than his record against Federer and Djokovic. The Spaniard has won seven matches while Hewitt has won four matches, with all his victories coming in their first five meetings.