Lleyton Hewitt
 | |
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Adelaide, Australia |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Plays | Right, two-hand backhand |
| Prize money | $16,609,137 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 431-133 |
| Career titles | 25 |
| Highest ranking | 1 (November 19, 2001) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2005) |
| French Open | QF (2001, 2004) |
| Wimbledon | W (2002) |
| US Open | W (2001) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 63-44 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | 18 (October 23, 2000) |
| Last updated on: September 13, 2006. | |
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born February 24, 1981, Adelaide, Australia), is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Australia. His career best achievements are winning the 2001 U.S. Open and 2002 Wimbledon men's singles titles.
Hewitt wins most of his matches with relentless aggression, fitness, consistent shots, and highly skilled footwork. His serve improved greatly in 2004 and 2005. Hewitt spent much time in the late stages of 2004 working with his coach Roger Rasheed on bulking up his physique. His hard work paid off after he made it to the final of the 2005 Australian Open, before falling to Marat Safin. Hewitt is considered among the top players of the past 10 years.
Tennis career
Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Hewitt might well have followed in the footsteps of his Australian rules football-playing father. Instead, he became one of the youngest winners of an ATP tournament when, as an almost unknown youngster, he won the 1998 Adelaide International, defeating Andre Agassi in the semifinals. Only Aaron Krickstein winning Tel Aviv in 1983 and Michael Chang winning San Francisco in 1988 were younger when claiming their first ATP title.
Over the next two years, Hewitt surged in the world rankings and on November 19, 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked number one (20 years old). He stayed No. 1 until June 16, 2003, a streak of 64 weeks. After two weeks of being No. 2, he returned as No. 1 for four weeks. Since then, his highest ranking has been No. 2.
Hewitt's first grand slam tournament win was at the U.S. Open in 2001, where he defeated then-four time champion Pete Sampras in straight sets.
He followed his U.S. Open win with a victory at Wimbledon in 2002, defeating David Nalbandian in the final and showing the world that though the tournament had tended to be dominated by serve-and-volleyers, a baseliner like Hewitt could still triumph on grass. He became the first baseliner to win the tournament since Agassi did it ten years earlier.
Hewitt was a part of the Australian Davis Cup Team that won the Davis Cup in 1999 and 2003 and reached the final in 2000 and 2001. At the age of 22, he had recorded more wins in Davis Cup singles than any other Australian player.
After his 2002 Wimbledon victory, Hewitt's game and his ATP ranking began to slip as he became engaged in a legal fight with the ATP and began focusing more on Davis Cup matches than on ATP events. Recently, however, he has reshaped his game and returned his attention to the ATP tour.
In 2003 as the defending champion, he lost in the first round of Wimbledon to qualifier Ivo Karlovic. Hewitt became the first defending Wimbledon men's champion in the open era to lose in the first round. In fact, only once before in the tournament's 126-year history had a defending men's champion lost in the opening round, when in 1967 Manuel Santana was beaten by Charlie Pasarell. Hewitt picked up another unwanted record as he became only the third defending champion to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam, after Boris Becker in the 1997 Australian Open and Pat Rafter in the 1999 U.S. Open.
Hewitt then didn't play for the rest of the 2003 season to add 7kg of muscle to his physique. Hewitt then led the Australian Davis Cup team to a victory in 2003 after he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening rubber 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.
In 2004, he became the first man in history to lose in each Grand Slam to the eventual champion. At the Australian Open, he was defeated in the fourth round by Swiss Roger Federer. At the French Open, he was defeated by Argentine Gastón Gaudio in the quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, he was defeated by Federer in a quarterfinal. And at the U.S. Open, he was defeated in the final, again by Federer, losing two out of the three sets at love. Hewitt defeated Andy Roddick to advance to the final of the 2004 Tennis Masters Cup but was yet again defeated by defending champion Federer.
In 2005, Hewitt won his only title at the Sydney Medibank International. He reached his first Australian Open final by defeating World No. 2 Roddick but was defeated by Marat Safin. At Wimbledon, he lost to Federer in a semifinal. Federer went on the win the event for the third time. Almost three months later, he again lost to Federer in a U.S. Open semifinal, although this time he was able the take one set from the Swiss. Hewitt had at this point lost to the eventual champion at seven consecutive Grand Slams (he missed the 2005 French Open because of injury).
In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put him in 34th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.
Hewitt pulled out of the Tennis Masters Cup tournament in Shanghai in November 2005 so that he could be with his wife Bec as the birth of his first child grew near. He was replaced by Gastón Gaudio. Hewitt has left Nike and joined Japanese sportswear company Yonex.
After a fairly frosty start to 2006, Hewitt was defeated in the second round of the Australian Open. After some time away from the tour, his results improved. He reached the finals of the San Jose and Las Vegas tournaments, losing to British youngster Andy Murray and Blake, respectively. But he lost to Tim Henman 7-6(5), 6-3 in the second round of the ATP Masters Series tournament in Miami, a player he had defeated eight times previously in as many matches.
At the 2006 French Open, Hewitt reached the fourth round where he lost to defending champion, and eventual winner, Rafael Nadal in four sets.
Hewitt won his first tournament of 2006 (after a 17 month hiatus from winning a tournament) when he beat Blake 6-4, 6-4 in the finals of the Queen's Club Championships. This was his fourth title there, equalling the records of John McEnroe and Boris Becker.
At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, Hewitt survived a five-set match against South Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee that was played over two days. He then defeated Olivier Rochus and David Ferrer before losing to Marcos Baghdatis in a quarterfinal.
At the 2006 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington D.C., Hewitt was defeated by Arnaud Clement 7-6(1), 6-4 in a quaterfinal after defeating Vincent Spadea in the second round and Denis Gremelmayr in the third round.
At the 2006 U.S. Open, Hewitt participated despite having an injured knee. Hewitt won his first three matches in straight sets against, respectively, Albert Montanes, Jan Hernych, and Novak Đoković. He defeated Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in the fourth round to advance to the quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive year. He then lost to Roddick 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
Later on in 2006, Hewitt played a Davis Cup quarterfinal for his country against Belarus. He played Vladimir Voltchkov. On court, Hewitt defeated Voltchkov 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in just 91 minutes, helping Australia reach the semifinals.
Playing style
Hewitt is a defensive baseline counterpuncher. He typically likes to stay back towards the baseline during a rally and will usually approach the net only to catch a short reply or drop shot from his opponent. His tactics typically involve putting difficult service returns in play, consistently chasing down attempted winning shots from his opponent, and waiting for his opponent to make an error.
Hewitt's serve in recent years has become more of a weapon. He is now capable of serving at 125mph/200kph and hits aces at key moments in the match. Hewitt also has excellent placement on his serve, enabling him to hit aces without a tremendous amount of speed. Despite not being a power player, he will usually go for an ace or a service winner for his first serve and settle for a slower, more consistent serve for his second serve.
Although he is known primarily as a baseline defender, Hewitt is actually a skilled volleyer and is known for having one of the best overhead smashes in the game. He also has underrated variety in his shots and will occasionally use a drop shot or drop volley to win a point. His signature shot, however, is the offensive topspin lob when his opponent approaches the net.
Controversy
The U.S. Open was also the site of one of Hewitt's controversies. In a five set match with James Blake, a black man, Hewitt complained to umpire Andres Egli and asked for a black linesman to be moved after being called for two foot-faults in the third set. "Look at him," Hewitt said, gesturing at the linesman. "Look at him and you tell me what the similarity is." Some witnesses, including Blake, had suggested that the "similarity" referred to the color shared by Blake and the linesman. [1] Hewitt claimed he had merely pointed out that the same linesman had foot-faulted him on both occasions, while other officials had made no such calls.
Other facts about Hewitt
Hewitt has won at least one ATP title annually for nine consecutive years, currently a record among active players.
Hewitt is a keen supporter of Australian rules football, having played the game earlier in his career and is no.1 ticket holder for the Adelaide Crows. He once had a friendship with Crows star Andrew McLeod, however this recently broke down over much public controversy.
Hewitt had a four year relationship with highly-ranked Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters. The two announced their engagement just before Christmas 2003 but then separated in October 2004. The reasons for the split were not revealed.
Shortly after losing the final of the 2005 Australian Open, Hewitt proposed to Australian actress Bec Cartwright on January 30th after they had been dating for six weeks. They married on July 21, 2005. Their first child, a daughter named Mia Rebecca Hewitt, was born on November 29, 2005.
Awards
- 2001 - ATP Player of the Year
- 2001 - Most Popular South Australian
- 2002 - ATP Player of the Year
- 2002 - Australia's Male Athlete
- 2002 - Most Popular South Australian
- 2002 - ESPY Best Male Tennis Player
- 2003 - Young Australian of the Year
- 2003 - Vogue Australia Sportsman of the Year
- 2003 - Most Popular South Australian
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2001 | U.S. Open |  Pete Sampras |
7-6, 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2002 | Wimbledon |  David Nalbandian |
6-1, 6-3, 6-2 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2004 | U.S. Open |  Roger Federer |
6-0, 7-6(3), 6-0 |
| 2005 | Australian Open |  Marat Safin |
1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
Tennis Masters Cup singles finals
Wins (2)
| Year | Venue | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2001 | Sydney |  Sébastien Grosjean |
6-3, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2002 | Shanghai |  Juan Carlos Ferrero |
7-5, 7-5, 2-6, 2-6, 6-4 |
Runner-ups (1)
| Year | Venue | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2004 | Houston | Roger Federer |
6-3, 6-2 |
Masters Series singles finals
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2002 | Indian Wells |  Tim Henman |
6-1, 6-2 |
| 2003 | Indian Wells (2) |  Gustavo Kuerten |
6-1, 6-1 |
Titles (27)
Singles (25)
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Singles Runner-ups (14)
Grand Slam finals in bold text.
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Singles performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, which concluded on November 19, 2006.
| Tournament | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Career SR | Career Win-Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 4R | 4R | F | 2R | 0 / 10 | 19-10 | |
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 4R | QF | 4R | 3R | QF | A | 4R | 0 / 7 | 19-7 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 3R | 1R | 4R | W | 1R | QF | SF | QF | 1 / 8 | 25-7 | |
| U.S. Open | A | A | 3R | SF | W | SF | QF | F | SF | QF | 1 / 8 | 38-7 | |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 0 | 2 / 33 | N/A |
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 0-1 | 0-1 | 5-4 | 11-4 | 16-3 | 15-3 | 9-4 | 17-4 | 16-3 | 12-4 | 0-0 | N/A | 101-31 |
| Indian Wells Masters | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | W | W | 3R | F | 3R | 2 / 9 | 24-7 | |
| Miami Masters | A | 1R | 2R | SF | SF | SF | 2R | 3R | A | 2R | 0 / 8 | 14-8 | |
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 3R | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2-2 | |
| Rome Masters | A | A | A | SF | 3R | 2R | A | 2R | A | A | 0 / 4 | 8-4 | |
| Hamburg Masters | A | A | A | 2R | SF | QF | 3R | SF | A | A | 0 / 5 | 14-5 | |
| Canada Masters | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 7 | 6-7 | |
| Cincinnati Masters | A | A | A | 1R | SF | F | 1R | F | SF | A | 0 / 6 | 18-6 | |
| Madrid Masters (Stuttgart) | A | A | 1R | F | SF | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 7-3 | |
| Paris Masters | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | F | A | QF | A | A | 0 / 4 | 8-4 | |
| Tennis Masters Cup | A | A | A | RR | W | W | A | F | A | A | 2 / 4 | 13-5 | |
| ATP Tournaments Played | 1 | 10 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 12 | 19 | 10 | 16 | 0 | N/A | 147 |
| ATP Finals Reached | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | N/A | 39 |
| ATP Tournaments Won | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | N/A | 25 |
| Hardcourt Win-Loss | 0-1 | 7-6 | 22-10 | 37-11 | 50-10 | 33-9 | 26-6 | 45-9 | 28-6 | 21-11 | 0-0 | N/A | 269-79 |
| Clay Win-Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 6-5 | 11-5 | 14-5 | 10-5 | 8-2 | 13-6 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 0-0 | N/A | 65-31 |
| Grass Win-Loss | 0-0 | 1-2 | 10-3 | 8-2 | 16-2 | 14-0 | 3-2 | 8-2 | 9-3 | 9-1 | 0-0 | N/A | 78-17 |
| Carpet Win-Loss | 0-0 | 2-1 | 6-2 | 5-1 | 0-1 | 4-1 | 0-0 | 2-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | N/A | 19-7 |
| Overall Win-Loss | 0-1 | 10-9 | 44-20 | 61-19 | 80-18 | 61-15 | 37-10 | 68-18 | 37-9 | 33-15 | 0-0 | N/A | 431-134 |
| Year End Ranking | 722 | 100 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 20 | N/A | N/A |
A = did not participate in the tournament
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
Davis Cup and World Team Cup matches are included in the statistics.
ATP Tour career earnings
| Year | Slams | ATP wins | Total wins | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 411,771 | 54 |
| 2000 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1,642,572 | 8 |
| 2001 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3,770,618 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4,619,386 | 1 |
| 2003 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 873,598 | 15 |
| 2004 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2,766,051 | 2 |
| 2005 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1,459,437 | 8 |
| 2006* | 0 | 1 | 1 | 506,680 | 25 |
| 2007 | |||||
| Career | 2 | 23 | 25 | 16,469,137 | 10 |
See also
References
External links
- ATP Profile
- "Hewitt won't be fined: Evidence 'inconclusive' on Aussie's outburst in CNN Sports Illustrated, September 2, 2001.
- "Bad boy's triumph"
- Lleyton Hewitt at IMDb