"Rafael Nadal's like me when 16, playing Andre Agassi in home" - When Lleyton Hewitt predicted big things for Spaniard ahead of Australian Open battle

The 2005 Australian Open saw Rafael Nadal, then an unseeded teenager, take on local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round. Hewitt was a highly accomplished player at the time, seeded No. 3 in the tournament and having two Grand Slam titles to his name.

Yet, Nadal was not the overwhelming underdog coming into the clash. Even then, the Spaniard was seen as someone who had the potential to be an all-time great, having defeated then World No. 1 Roger Federer in the final of the Miami Open the previous year.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of their battle, Hewitt shared his thoughts on the match, stating that while he knew Federer's sickness contributed to the loss, he saw a lot of good things in Nadal. The Aussie was particularly impressed by his lack of worry over big matches, a trait that reminded him of himself.

In 1998, Hewitt, then a teenager, took on eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi in Adelaide and overwhelmed the American to win in straight sets. The former World No. 1 believed Nadal had the same coolness about him, also evident in the way the Spaniard had battled against Andy Roddick at the US Open the previous year despite losing.

"I know Federer was sick that match, though. Yeah, it didn't surprise me that Nadal won that night purely because I knew Federer was sick going into it. Nadal, I've looked at a lot of Nadal's matches over the last couple years. The big matches don't worry him. He's that kind of kid. He's like me when I was 16, 17, playing Andre Agassi in front of your home crowd," Hewitt said.

"That was awesome for me. Very similar to him. He didn't take a step back against Roddick at the US Open, maybe the second round they played. He took it to him. Obviously, Andy was too good and too powerful at the time. But, yeah, he doesn't step back for anyone," he added.

Interestingly, Lleyton Hewitt went on to predict that Rafael Nadal would surely win the French Open sometime in the future — which he ended up doing a record 14 times in his career.

"He's been -- at least last year, I think the year before, he might have been injured for the French Open or a lot of the clay court season. He's a lot better player than whatever his ranking is, to not be seeded. He's good on all surfaces. As I said, he's hungry, he's intense, he's competitive, he's all of that, and he's good for the game. I'll be very surprised if he didn't win the French Open one day," Hewitt said.

At the 2005 Australian Open, Hewitt and Nadal battled in a marathon five-setter before the Aussie prevailed, and went on to reach the final before losing to Marat Safin.

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"Rafael Nadal moves extremely well for a big kid" - Lleyton Hewitt

2024 Brisbane International: Day 6 - Source: Getty

At the press conference, Lleyton Hewitt also previewed his battle against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, recalling their battle in Melbourne the previous year in the third round. In 2004, the Aussie won in straight sets, the first-ever encounter against the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Hewitt was lavishly in praise of the Spaniard, hailing his movement and forehand in particular.

"I faced him a year ago in the third round here. I don't know. I thought he played pretty well here a year ago against me. Even though I won in straight sets, we had an extremely tough match - and I'll expect no different in a couple days' time. He's obviously heavy from the baseline. He's got a great forehand," Hewitt said.

"He moves extremely well for a big kid. Yeah, there's areas of his game, though, which I think I can exploit. You know, you've got to go out there and make it happen, though," he added.

Although Hewitt started his head-to-head record against Nadal 3-0, he ended his career 4-7 against the Mallorcan, losing their last six match-ups on the trot.