Lleyton Hewitt reflected on his career as he was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport.
The Australian was recognised for his tennis achievements at the ceremony in Newport as he was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame.
Hewitt was the youngest world number one in ATP history when he achieved the milestone at 20 years of age in 2001.
Since then the Australian ended the year as world number one twice, won two grand slam singles titles and led Australia to two Davis Cup titles.
In an era where Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have ruled Men’s tennis, Hewitt stayed as world number one for 80 weeks ending up tenth on the all-time list.
A legendary career and Hewitt spoke about the occasion to be recognised for his achievements in Newport, “The Hall of Fame seemed like something that was so far away from me ever being part of,” Hewett admitted during the ceremony.
“It was never something I ever thought about as a player, and it was always, I thought, for the people that were my idols growing up and the absolute legends of the sport.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience for me, the whole build-up the last couple of years, but especially this weekend. I think it’s so fitting for me to be inducted here in Newport at such a special place.”
It was an emotional moment for Hewitt as he finally received the plaudits for an extraordinary career.
The Australian also reflected on his rivals and how they made him a better player, “I feel fortunate that I was able to play across different generations,” Hewett was quoted as saying by the ATP website.
“I was able to be on the same court as my heroes that I looked up to, like Andre Agassi and Peter Sampras, and then go on and compete against three of the greatest tennis players our sport has ever seen in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.”
