Rusty gets his due – Legendary Lleyton Hewitt goes into the Hall of Fame

Aussie Legend Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday in Newport.

Lleyton Hewitt, All Of Fame 2022 – © AI / Reuters / Panoramic

July 17, 2022

The word warrior gets overused in tennis terminology, but when it comes to Lleyton Hewitt, it was an understatement. The youngest world No 1 in ATP history and author of two Grand Slam singles title runs, was first a fighter, second a patriot and third a tennis star.

And he was a gladiator, known as one of the fiercest competitors of his generation.

In line with the proud Australian tennis tradition, Hewitt spearheaded runs to Davis Cup glory for the green and gold in 1999 and 2003, and to this day he holds down the fort as the captain of Australia’s Davis Cup team.

The Aussie legend got his due on Saturday, as he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. He was introduced via video by fellow Australian Hall of Famers, Tony Roche and John Newcombe.

Hewitt – playing for Australia the greatest honour

During his induction speech, the Aussie tipped the Davis Cup and playing for Australia as one of his greatest achievements. The 89th Australian to play Davis Cup, Hewitt holds the Australian record for Davis Cup wins with 58.

“There was something special about that competition for me,” he said on Saturday. “Tennis is such an individual sport for so many months of the year. And I think that’s why Davis Cup was so important to me. It was my way of playing AFL football but in the sport of tennis, standing side by side with your teammates, your captain, your coach, and knowing that you’re going into battle for something more important than just yourself.”

Hewitt, who won his last title in 2014 at Newport, said he felt fortunate to compete against two generations of tennis icons.

“I feel fortunate that I was able to play across different generations that 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,” he said.

With legendary Roche sitting in the audience next to his wife, Rebecca, Hewitt sent glowing praise to his longtime coach and promised to keep pushing Australian tennis forward.

“I’m forever grateful mate, because I would never have been the player or was without your guidance,” Hewitt said. “But just importantly, I want to keep helping to pass on your knowledge, work ethic and passion for Australian tennis to the future generations.”

“Lleyton left an important legacy in competing for Australia and setting a standard of training and competition that every generation should look up to. He’s a role model for believing in the impossible, and then making the impossible a reality.”
Darren Cahill on Lleyton Hewitt

Darren Cahill – He had the heart of a lion

Hewitt’s former coach Darren Cahill penned a beautiful tribute to Hewitt and spoke about meeting a young, hungry Hewitt as a 12-year-old and having a feeling that he was going to be a great one.

Cahill was right – Hewitt, who notched 616 ATP wins and 30 titles, most certainly was.

Cahill also praised Hewitt for setting the tone for Australian tennis as a competitor who never shied away from Davis Cup.

Lleyton Hewitt, On This Day — Lleyton Hewitt

“Lleyton left an important legacy in competing for Australia and setting a standard of training and competition that every generation should look up to.

“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.”

A relentless competitor

“He competed better than anyone out there,” said American Lindsay Davenport on Saturday, as she and her fellow Hall of Famers prepared to welcome the Adelaide native as their 267th official member.

Hewitt’s game screamed passion – for the sport and for the competition and for his mates – and his peers knew him as one of the most fiery competitors to ever pick up a racquet.

“I loved how passionate he was on the court and his energy, how much it meant to him to win matches,” Andy Murray said this week in Newport. “He always showed that he really cared about it.”