Tennis legends Billie Jean King, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray have congratulated Lleyton Hewitt for his induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island, Newport.
The Australian, a two-time Major winner, became the youngest player to be crowned World No. 1 after winning the 2001 Tennis Masters Cup a few months shy of his 21st birthday. The 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon winner occupied the spot for 80 weeks and won over 600 singles matches in his career, including 30 titles.
Hewitt was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame this week after his original induction was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Many eminent tennis personalities have commended Hewitt for the achievement. 39-time Major winner Bille Jean King tweeted:
"Congratulations to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt - 2001 US Open champion, 2002 Wimbledon champion, 33 titles, 2x Year-end World No. 1"
Andy Roddick, 2002 US Open winner, tweeted:
"Always an honor to be back at Tennis Hall of Fame! Well deserved and congrats to Lleyton Hewitt!"
Another former World No. 1 Andy Murray, who lost to Alexander Bublik in the Newport quarterfinals this week, said in a video:
"You're an amazing player, someone I looked up to, and I loved watching."
Former and current Australian players like Gary Cahill, Jordan Thompson and Pat Rafter also commended their compatriot for the achievement.
Lleyton Hewitt dominated tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal early on
Lleyton Hewitt was the player to beat on the men's tour in the early years of this century. He had announced his arrival when the then 16-year-old won the Adelaide' 98 title to become the third-youngest singles winner on the ATP tour.
The Australian dominated future legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal early on, winning four of his first five matches against both players. However, beset by injuries, Hewitt failed to keep up when Federer and Nadal took things up a notch.
After losing seven of his first nine matches against Hewitt, Federer won the next 15. He did lose two of the pair's last three meetings but still ended with a commanding 18-9 head-to-head advantage.
Against Nadal, Hewitt lost his last six matches to end with a head-to-head record of 4-7. Nevertheless, Hewitt has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career to be proud of. He's currently the captain of the Australian Davis Cup team.
