Hewitt Set To Be Inducted Into Australian Tennis Hall Of Fame In 2024

| by Nurein Ahmed

Former ATP No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt will be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame at next year's Australian Open.

A special ceremony to commemorate Hewitt's momentous occasion will be held at Rod Laver Arena prior to the Australian Open night session on Wednesday, January 24th. Next year's tournament will have a historic Sunday start for its main draw.

The Australian Tennis Hall of Fame was incepted in 1993 and is one of the highest honors bestowed upon Australian tennis players. Inductees are usually recognized with a bronze status that is displayed during the ceremony at Rod Laver Arena before it is mounted in Garden Square at Melbourne Park with that of other Hall of Famers.

The first inductees are undoubtedly the greatest Australian tennis players of all time, those being Rod Laver (the only man to win the Calendar Grand Slam in the Open Era) and Margaret Court (winner of a joint-record 24 Grand Slam singles titles), who garnished the 1993 ceremony.

2024 Australian Open Set For Historic Sunday Start To Prevent Late-Night Finishes
2024 Australian Open Set For Historic Sunday Start To Prevent Late-Night Finishes

Since then, more than 30 names have made it to the Australian tennis folklore including 12-time Grand Slam singles champion Roy Emerson and seven-time major champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who were among the second lot of inductees.

Hewitt's achievements will be honored next year for being a stalwart of Australian tennis in the early noughties. He qualified for his first Australian Open in 1997 as a 15-year-old. Since then he went on to lift two Grand Slams (US Open and Wimbledon) and the ATP Finals on two occasions.

In 2001, at the age of 20, he was at the time the youngest ATP No. 1 in history. His reign as World No. 1 lasted 80 weeks, the 10th most among male players. In total, Hewitt won 30 career singles titles.

"It’s a great honour to be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of some of my great Australian idols. I’ve always been such a proud Australian and loved the rich tennis history we have in our sport."

Hewitt Slams 'Screwed Up' Davis Cup Format Despite Qualifying For Final 8
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