More than a year after he was voted to join the pantheon of tennis greats, Lleyton Hewitt has finally been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Asked how he wanted to be remembered, the 41-year-old told reporters “as a competitor”.
“For me, someone that loved to lay it on the line day after day, and got the most out of themselves, I competed as hard as I possibly could on the court every time I took to the court,” said Australia’s Davis Cup captain and former world No.1.
“The fans deserved for us to give everything and go out and compete, and that’s something I prided myself on.”
Hewitt was elected into the Hall as part of the 2021 class, but due to travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to attend the enshrinement ceremony last summer.
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There was no one elected for 2022, so the moment was his alone. He is the 34th Australian player to be inducted.
The enshrinement ceremony was held on Newport’s grass side courts after the semi-finals of the Hall of Fame Open. Eight Hall of Famers, including Andy Roddick (2017) and Tracy Austin (’92), attended the event.
A two-time grand slam champion (Wimbledon 2002, US Open 2001), Hewitt finished ’01 and ’02 as the No.1 player in the world and spent 80 weeks top ranked.
