US Open 2013: Lleyton Hewitt is a prize fighter disguised as a tennis player

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia celebrates match point against Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina during their second round match on Day Five of the 2013 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 30, 2013 in New York City. (Getty Images)

We could have lost him to some gruesome bunch of prize fighting pariahs somewhere on the Pacific Rim. Fortunately, Lleyton Hewitt discovered that he could indulge his fetish for feisty blood spilling fights on the 78×27 feet rectangle.

The 32-year-old might have been ravaged by injury and the resulting surgeries, but the wounds and pain have never managed to hurt his soul. Down two sets to one against Juan Martin Del Potro, the Australian donned the war paint again to underline why he still remains one of the mightiest warriors on the professional tour.

The battle weary Aussie was nearly down and out, but chose to abandon his barracks and launch an all out attack against the Argentine to pull off an incredible 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 upset to advance to the third round of the US Open. If Del Potro was expecting only to play a tennis match, he arrived with the wrong tools as he soon realised he was actually in for a brutal physical battle.

Born to an Aussie rules footballer, Hewitt almost followed in his father’s footsteps before eventually opting to pursue his beastly instincts on the tennis court. The young man’s transition into tennis paid off immediate dividends, with Hewitt becoming the youngest player to become world No. 1, riding on his successes at the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002.

But the arrival of Roger Federer and the subsequent rise of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made further Grand Slam glory an elusive prize. Hewitt though was never so much after the prize itself, as driven as he was by his lust for sweat and toil.

All Hewitt was ever worried about was to ensure that he left everything on court. Knowing that he had spent his last ounce of energy was his reward, the winning and losing merely coincidental accompaniments of his gut wrenching pursuit.

The effort was his elixir. As he glared at his opponents, he wanted each one of them to know that they had no choice but to walk over his spent mortal coil if they were to gain victory. Immediately after the opponent was gone, Hewitt would call upon his super human spirit to pick the pieces of his battered body and prepare it for the next battle.

In May this year, at the first round of the French Open Hewitt was trailing 0-5 against Gilles Simon in the final set of yet another of those bruising battles. Hewitt was hurting from severe blisters on his toes, but he isn’t a regular Joe, who would quietly put his feet up.

“Blisters on my toe were troubling me and I was feeling it,” said the Aussie. “It was uncomfortable but you can play through it,” refusing to explain away a painful defeat with an excuse.

Instead, Hewitt saved two match points on his serve. He then held off Simon, not once but twice, when the Frenchman was serving for the match. Hewitt succumbed in the end, 5-7 in the final set, but Simon had to summon all of his clay court skills and spill some of his own guts to sneak out the victory.

Against the Argentine, at Flushing Meadows last night, Hewitt was sensing defeat at the start of the fourth set. The smell of danger awakened the bull dog that is ever resident in the Aussie. As he launched into all out attack with his powerful forehand, Del Potro was forced to save a break point in the sixth game.

Hewitt shakes hands with del Potro after defeating him during their second round match on August 30, 2013 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images)

But the Aussie was pounding away ferociously by now; the sense of urgency in his hurried strides wasn’t lost of Del Potro. A double fault in the eighth game offered Hewitt a glimpse of the unease that was filling the Argentine’s lungs. Like a lion pouncing at its vulnerable prey, Hewitt got stuck into the Argentine with a backhand cross court return to earn another break point.

Del Potro swung into action with an ace to survive the threat, but Hewitt wasn’t done swinging his powerful paws. The Aussie got stuck into the Argentine with a pair of forehand winners to punch his way to a crucial break. But then this was no battle between lion and deer – they are both former US Open winners – and Del Potro responded immediately to break Hewitt back and keep the set alive.

Meanwhile, Hewitt was making it obvious that he was in no rush to make way despite the fact that the clock was nearly ready to usher in another midnight. The Aussie was flinging his body into the air with the gay abandon of a 20-year-old, who was unmindful of the bruising effects of such adventure. There was no telling if one of Hewitt’s doctors might suffer a stroke just watching the embattled Aussie fall hard on the hip like a circus acrobat.

Hewitt though was relentless and the persistent pounding had its effect on Del Potro. A couple of double faults in the tie-breaker exacerbated the pain for Del Potro, dealing as he was from the pain of errors and the flow of winners from Hewitt. The Aussie was successful in forcing the match into the decider with what he termed as one of the finest breakers of his career.

The bruised Argentine was smarting from the devastating blows of the spirited Aussie warrior. It was a typical fight back from the seasoned Hewitt and the scars began to tear open the Argentine’s defence. The final set turned out to be a one-sided affair, Del Potro managing just one game even as Hewitt pressed his way past his battered opponent.

The ferocity and tenacity of Hewitt defy the fact that his body has been through five surgeries in the past few years. Speak with any of his doctors and for all their expertise they might be fumbling to explain how and why the Aussie is willing and able to perform these feats of epic endurance.

Hewitt has a 31-19 record in five set battles over his many years on the tour, that is an impressive 62% success rate. At Grand Slam events, Hewitt has been through 37 five set encounters, winning 25 of them.

“I don’t know how many years I have left to play and I was hankering to get out on this court again and put on a show,” Hewitt said. “A couple of years ago, I had a few foot surgeries and I didn’t know if I would ever play tennis again. But it’s a hell of a lot of fun coming out to play and I cherish every match.”

So should we, because warriors such as Hewitt enrich our experience adding layered meaning to sport by laying down every sinew available to them in the pursuit of their dreams. In doing so, they teach us the virtue of a dream and fill us with the belief that we could indeed live it if we worked hard enough.