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World View: Lleyton Hewitt hailed for changing tennis forever as tributes flow after final game

WORLD VIEW: Tributes continue to flow for Lleyton Hewitt, with one leading scribe crediting the Aussie with making tennis’ modern superstars what they are today.

3 min read
January 22, 2016 - 5:12PM
Australian Open Tennis 2016 Day 4 Lleyton Hewitt v David Ferrer Picture:Wayne Ludbey
Australian Open Tennis 2016 Day 4 Lleyton Hewitt v David Ferrer Picture:Wayne Ludbey

LLEYTON Hewitt was being hailed by the world’s tennis media as a player who changed the sport forever after his remarkable career ended at the Australian Open.

Hewitt went down fighting but was completely outclassed by Spanish eighth seed David Ferrer on Thursday night, the final act in a spectacular career that yielded two grand slams and two Davis Cup titles.

Many noted that Hewitt’s trademark feistiness and fight shone through even in his final match but the Australian also received high praise for his tactical approach to tennis that helped shape the modern game.

Lleyton Hewitt chats with David Ferrer after the match.
Lleyton Hewitt chats with David Ferrer after the match.

Tom Perrotta, writing for the Wall Street Journal, led the tributes, declaring Hewitt “unlocked a new way to play tennis, one that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have since perfected.”

“Before Hewitt, there used to be a clear division between defensive and offensive players. Hewitt blurred that line, which the game’s aforementioned giants have since erased,” Perrotte wrote.

“Like Hewitt, they can all defend with bursts of speed and quick hands, but also attack from a defensive position. Like Hewitt, they have no glaring weaknesses.”

Perotta went further to say that it was Hewitt who elevated the game of all-time grand slam leader Federer.

“Early in his career, he used to own Federer, who is just six months younger. Hewitt won seven of their first nine matches,” Perotta said.

Roger Federer and Hewitt practised together ahead of the Australian Open.
Roger Federer and Hewitt practised together ahead of the Australian Open.

“Back then, Federer used to serve and volley more and approach the net with chip backhands. Against Hewitt, that usually led to defeat. He loved a target and was adept at hitting passing shots. To win against Hewitt, Federer had to change.

“As Federer closed in on the No. 1 ranking, he toned down his attacks, used his backhand more aggressively and developed more staying power in baseline rallies. From 2004 to 2010, he beat Hewitt 15 straight times, including the 2004 U.S. Open final, in which Federer won two sets by the score of 6-0.”

The story quoted Hewitt’s former coach Darren Cahill as saying: “I think Lleyton is largely responsible for turning Federer into the player we see today.”

Simon Briggs, writing for the UK Telegraph, agreed also credited Hewitt’s influence for the modern trend of players being more animated and openly passionate.

“It was Hewitt that bequeathed us the first-pump and “C’mon” that is now such a tennis cliche,” Briggs wrote.

“It was Hewitt who brought the era of the big servers to an end by showing that a small man with quick feet could outflank them.

“It was even Hewitt who began the trend for agitated players to bark angrily at their coaches and support team. The purists didn’t always love him, but his passion provided a much-needed counterpoint to the serenity of a Pete Sampras or a Roger Federer.”

Peter Bodo, writing for ESPN, felt Hewitt’s greatest achievement was “the way he shepherded Australia through a dark period when it appeared that the well of talent Down Under had gone dry.”

“That drought could be attributed partly to Tennis Australia’s progressive decision to abandon its grass-court tradition and move the tournament to the hard courts at Melbourne Park starting in 1988,” Bodo said.

“With no hard-court tradition to speak of, the Aussies subsequently struggled to produce players to carry on the winning tradition established by greats like Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe.

“Pat Rafter was the lone Aussie near the top of the game when 15-year-old Hewitt became the youngest qualifier in Australian Open history in 1997, the same year Rafter won the first of his two Grand Slam singles titles. Rafter would quickly fade as a force in the game, but Hewitt stepped in to assume leadership.”

Many pointed to Hewitt’s foul-mouthed spray at the chair umpire in the final set as evidence of his competitive fire still burning strongly.

Lleyton Hewitt leaves the arena flanked by his children Cruz, Mia and Ava.
Lleyton Hewitt leaves the arena flanked by his children Cruz, Mia and Ava.

“He was frequently foul-mouthed early in his career, and he remained feisty and high strung, burning off his nervous energy between points by feverishly picking at his strings or grabbing reflexively at his shirt,” said New York Times scribe Christopher Clarey.

“... Hewitt swatted the court at one stage with his racket, dropped it in frustration at another and even received a warning for an audible obscenity, which sparked a prickly discussion with the French chair umpire, Pascal Maria.”

Clarey said while the setting and timing of Hewitt’s last single match were symbolic the loss “did not quite check all the boxes”.

“A full-throated five-setter would surely have been a more appropriate finish considering how many Hewitt had fought through in his long career as he went from underdog to world No. 1 and then, for many years, back to underdog,” he said.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of Hewitt’s influence on this era of tennis was the amount of current players — many still alive in this year’s Open — who obviously watched the match and took to social media to pay tribute:

Originally published as World View: Lleyton Hewitt hailed for changing tennis forever as tributes flow after final game

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/more-sports/world-view-lleyton-hewitt-hailed-for-changing-tennis-forever-as-tributes-flow-after-final-game/news-story/32a986c2adfe6cac97002759de6da722