LLEYTON HEWITT IS READY FOR LAST HURRAH AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN, IT’S HIS ROCKY BALBOA MOMENT, OR “RUSTY’S LAST STAND”

Written by: Staff on 17th January 2016

LLEYTON HEWITT IS READY FOR LAST HURRAH AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN, IT'S HIS ROCKY BALBOA MOMENT, OR "RUSTY'S LAST STAND"

epa05107901 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia trains on court nine for the Australian Open Tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 18 January 2016. The Australian Open tennis tournament runs from 18 to 31 January 2016. EPA/JULIAN SMITH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

By Ricky Dimon

This is it for Lleyton Hewitt. The former world No. 1 will call it a career at this Australian Open. And what a career it has been. Hewitt is a two-time major champion, having triumphed at the U.S. Open in 2001 and at Wimbledon in 2002.

A tenacious grinder who wore opponents down with ruthless consistency and simply by being mentally stronger than the guy on the other side of the net, Hewitt was borderline dominant during the era in between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Subsequent to Federer’s rise, the game pretty much passed Hewitt by as courts sped up, technology improved, and the hitting became bigger to the extent that a defensive player like Hewitt was prone to getting blown off the court.

Despite that, Hewitt has battled to a 20-year career that has him still alive and kicking in 2016–at least for one more tournament.

“I don’t know how it feels,” Hewitt said when asked during his pre-tournament press conference about taking the court knowing that it could be for the last time. “A tad strange feeling, but I’m trying to soak it up as much as possible. I guess it’s different in the fact that if you do go out then, yes, it is the end. But you got to try to block that out as much as possible. You could go through all the same emotions again two days later, as well. That’s going to be the tough part to deal with.”

As expected, the 34-year-old will get night-session treatment in Rod Laver Arena for his first-round match on Tuesday. His opponent will be none other than fellow Aussie James Duckworth. Amazingly enough, in 19 previous appearances at this event, Hewitt has faced only one countryman. In 2003, he hammered Todd Larkham 6-1, 6-0, 6-1. ( Todd had worked his way thru Qualies and his back was locked up )

Duckworth will not be so easy. The 23-year-old needed a wild card to get into the main draw as the No. 129 player in the world, but he has not been a stranger to the ATP and Grand Slam level. In fact, three of his last five Australian Open matches have gone to five sets. Combined, five of these two players’ last eight Aussie Open matches have gone the distance.

Retiring Australian player Lleyton Hewitt is seen during a joint practice session with Swiss player Roger Federer on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open Tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 15 January 2016. EPA/JULIAN SMITH

“(It was) always bound to happen, wasn’t it,” Hewitt said when asked about finally playing another fellow Australian in Melbourne. “Especially now that I’ve got a second hat on–a full-time job as Davis Cup captain. Yeah, it’s obviously a bit surprising I haven’t played more over the years with all the wild cards that Australians get into the tournament, as well.

“Yeah, it’s awkward, but in another way it’s fun to go out there with ‘Ducks’ , I’ve been helping him the last few years. He’s been part of the Davis Cup squad on a number of occasions. He’s a great kid. I think he’s going to push on the next couple years and get a lot better.”

Duckworth joins the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, and Thanasi Kokkinakis in carrying the Australian Open torch when Hewitt is gone. While they have big shoes to fill, the shoes are surprisingly small in Melbourne. Shockingly, Hewitt has lost prior to the quarterfinals in 18 of 19 trips to this tournament. The only exception came in 2005, when he finished runner-up to Marat Safin.

This has never been Hewitt’s best event and he has not always been embraced by the home crowd, but the fans love this older, wiser version of Hewitt. And it would not be too surprising to see them carry him through one more five-set classic.