Two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame (ITHF) on Saturday, following the Infosys Corridor of Fame semi-finals, in a ceremony witnessed by legends Stan Smith, Tony Roche, Andy Roddick, Tracy Austin, Gigi Fernández, amongst others.
Hosted by Tennis Channel host Brett Haber, with speeches from ITHF CEO Todd Martin and Stan Smith, it was a celebration of Hewitt’s braveness and underdog spirit, the Davis Cup and the “loyalty” that Hewitt valued so extremely. .
Legend Lleyton Hewitt has been inducted into the Tennis Corridor of Fame!
👶 The youngest world number one in historical past
👑 80 weeks as number one
🏆 2 Grand Slam titles
💪 30 titles
😮 1st title at 16 pic.twitter.com/816yUhpfLH — We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) July 17, 2022
It was a fortuitous location contemplating the ITFH grounds have been the place the 41-year-old Aussie gained his final match, the Corridor of Fame Tennis Championships (because it was then recognized) in 2014.
The impeccably maintained grass courts additionally served as the one place the place Hewitt gained the match title in each singles and doubles, fulfilling a lifetime profession achievement. The induction ceremony was additionally held on the precise courtroom the place the two-time Grand Slam champion performed his opening match on the location.
The Tennis Corridor of Fame held a particular that means for Lleyton Hewitt, which the proud Australian spoke about in his speech. Very harshly, the fierce participant additionally refused to chop his speech brief and warned the captive viewers that it was going to be lengthy.
Nevertheless, no person cared. The celebration was crammed with tributes from pivotal individuals who noticed a lot potential in a feisty, cantankerous and passionate tennis participant from Adelaide, South Australia. Lleyton Hewitt was honored by a lot of his ‘mates’, members of the family, friends and followers who paid tribute to his celebrated profession that spanned 18 years.
The 2 legends who have been there from the start
Two seminal Australian legends gave Hewitt an early break: 24-slam Sydney champion (together with seven in singles) John Newcombe and 16-slam winner Tony Roche.
As Australian Davis Cup Captain and Coach (and a number of Davis Cup winners), they noticed in Hewitt the type of fearless starvation for the sport that impressed them to pick him for the Australian Davis Cup group in 1999.
Each tennis statesmen spoke about their first impression of the younger Hewitt in a humorous and charming tribute video that performed in the course of the ceremony.
“I keep in mind the primary assembly I had with Lleyton was at a charity occasion in Adelaide.
He will need to have been round 12 or 13 years previous, and I used to be very impressed along with his sport, even at that younger age,” mentioned Tony Roche. “However I used to be extra impressed along with his straight haircut, actually. All of the Adelaide boys appeared to have these nice slick haircuts.
However sure, Lleyton, you might inform it was going to be one thing particular”.
(Aspect observe, Hewitt rocked the mullet earlier than reigning Open champion Sam Smith made him well-known once more.) Newcombe, whom Hewitt all the time referred to as “Newc,” talked about an anecdote about Hewitt’s obsession with the underdog character “Rocky Balboa.”
Later followers would finally coin the nickname ‘Rocky’ for Hewitt resulting from all his emphatic shouts of “Vamos Balboa” throughout matches.
“In 2000, we performed the ultimate towards Spain and on the primary day Lleyton needed to play towards Albert Costa and it was an unimaginable match.
Exterior there was a warfare. And Lleyton finally led 5-4 within the fifth set, serving. He circled, dropped love-40 on his serve and went to the again of the courtroom and was screaming on the bottom. And everybody needed to know why he’s screaming on the bottom. And what he was doing was he liked the Rocky motion pictures.
Rocky was his hero and he used to get into that different particular person. So, he was yelling on the floor, ‘Come on, Rocky. Stand up, Balboa. Struggle, battle, come on Rock. And he went out and gained 5 factors in a row.
Unbelievable effort. And we’re proud, Lleyton, to have met you and to have the ability to spend a while with you. It was an honor for us.”
Roche additionally had the pleasure of unusual Hewitt the night time earlier than because the Corridor of Famer was out for dinner with family and friends, who weren’t anticipating Tony Roche to be on the ceremony in particular person.
Davis Cup Ardour
Underneath the tutelage of Newcombe and Roche, Hewitt’s debut for the Australian Davis Cup group in 1999 culminated in a match made in heaven, leading to a victory for his nation in his first yr. He defeated Corridor of Fame CEO Martin in that momentous first outing, who smiled kindly as Hewitt recalled the victory.
The Davis Cup proved pivotal to Hewitt’s profession, who led Australia to a different win in 2003 and nonetheless holds a variety of Australian Davis Cup data, together with most wins, most singles wins, most playoffs performed and most years performed.
No surprise the proud Aussie was requested to captain the group in 2016.
“There was one thing particular about that competitors for me. Tennis is such a person sport for thus many months of the yr, and I feel that is why the Davis Cup was so necessary to me.
It was my approach of taking part in AFL soccer however within the sport of tennis. “To be subsequent to your teammates, your captain, your coach and know that you will battle for one thing extra necessary than simply your self.”
A particular reference to Darren Cahill
Carrying his newly gifted ITFH jacket, he thanked his nice coach Darren Cahill, who wrote a column in regards to the pivotal second when an keen 12-year-old Lleyton Hewitt knocked on his door.
Each from Adelaide, Cahill recalled a steel-eyed Hewitt asking, “Hello, I am Lleyton, we could play?” Cahill wrote a tribute to Hewitt in an ATP column, “My Level,” in regards to the participant’s evolution.
“’Rattling, this man is nice. It is going to be one thing particular,’” Cahill recalled telling his girlfriend (now his spouse) on the time. “This was a uncommon day the place you simply know.”
A tennis nice who put every thing on the courtroom when he performed
“The Corridor of Fame appeared like a good distance from me,” Hewitt mentioned in the course of the ceremony.
“It was by no means one thing I thought of as a participant, and I all the time thought in regards to the individuals who have been my idols rising up and absolutely the legends of the game. “It has been an incredible expertise for me, the entire buildup of the final two years, however particularly this weekend.
I feel it’s extremely becoming for me to be inducted right here in Newport into such a particular place.”
Hewitt nonetheless holds the report on the ATP because the youngest ranked No. 1 at age 20, the identical yr he defeated ‘Pistol’ Pete Sampras in straight units on the 2001 US.
open finish. Hewitt retained his larger rating the next yr with the assistance of a commanding victory over David Nalbandian within the 2002 Wimbledon remaining.
“I gave one hundred pc each time I stepped on the courtroom,” Hewitt mentioned.
“And it wasn’t simply the match courtroom, it was additionally the follow courtroom.”
The fierce competitor gained 616 matches, 30 singles titles, three consecutive doubles titles and ATP Tour finals in 2001-2002.
Lleyton Hewitt is now a member of the Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame, the place memorabilia equivalent to his Davis Cup jacket and racket are displayed within the museum.