Lleyton Hewitt is a former professional Australian tennis player who was born in Adelaide, Australia, on February 24, 1981. The sport was instilled in Hewitt right from the get-go, with his dad Glynn being a professional Australian rules football player, while his mum Cherilyn was a PE teacher.
In fact, it was not until the age of 13 that Lleyton was devoted to the same sport as his father before making the permanent switch to the tennis courts. After making waves on the junior tour for a few years, the Australian soon turned professional in 1998 at the age of 17.
In fact, it was in his first season on the pro tour that he started making a name for himself, winning the 1998 edition of the ATP Next Generation Adelaide International. The titles came in regularly for his first couple of seasons before he really kicked on and won multiple titles per year at the turn of the century.
Steady progress like that, as well as a long career, was enough to see him end with 30 singles titles in total. Just when he was reaching his prime in terms of silverware in the early 2000s, he also saw his biggest tournament wins.
The Australian claimed his two Grand Slam titles in successive years – the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002. As is expected when you reach the culmination of the sport, his career-best ranking came during this period, too, with him reaching the number one spot in November 2001 after his win in New York.
It was not just on the singles court that he shone, however, as Hewitt proved himself a key team player at team events. Even when some wait until the twilight of their career to make the shift to the doubles court, Hewitt was proving his flexibility and talent for the multi-disciplines even at his singles’ prime – he won the US Open men’s doubles title in 2000 and also helped his nation lift the Davis Cup in 1999 and 2003.
As the singles titles came in drips and drabs throughout the following years, Hewitt settled into becoming a staple name and fan favorite for the remainder of his long and illustrious career. He finally called time on his singles career in 2016, some 18 years after breaking onto the professional scene.
The man from Adelaide has continued to work hard for the sport even after hanging up his racquets. He is now his country’s Davis Cup captain, leading the generation of Australian talent with the expertise he gathered throughout a dazzling playing career.
