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

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.