Federer: Hewitt Made Me A Better Player

As word began to circulate that after 17 years Lleyton Hewitt would be making his last rounds on the ATP World Tour, the accolades, the appreciation began to roll in for the former No. 1 and two-time Slam champ, whose fiery disposition, “C’MON!” rally cries and backward-facing ballcap silhouette have long been iconic additions to the game.

“He will be remembered as being just a fantastic competitor,” observed Andy Murray. “He hated to lose.”

“He sets the benchmark for all Australian players with how he fights,” asserted on-the-rise countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“His attitude and competitiveness, I think, is second to none,” added Nick Kyrgios, another up-and-coming Aussie whom Hewitt has mentored.

But it was praise from perhaps his chief rival, a player who tuned pro the same year he did, in 1998, that hit home the most.

“He did things that no other player’s ever achieved,” said Roger Federer.

Though Hewitt would win seven of their first nine FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, Federer would eventually assume control of the rivalry — at one point winning 15 straight — and today owns an 18-9 advantage.

On the eve of what will be Hewitt’s final tournament, Federer reflected on the rivalry and the friendship that ensued. Said the four-time Australian Open titlist, before his rivalry match-ups with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic grew into double digits, Hewitt and American Andy Roddick were his biggest threats.

“It was different with Lleyton,” said Federer on Saturday in Melbourne. “I had to turn around the series because he got the better of me many times in the beginning, whereas with Andy I started on the better side and kept that up throughout. But I really enjoyed playing them. Also [Juan Carlos] Ferrero and [Marat] Safin. But Lleyton was something special. No doubt about it. Lleyton made me figure out my game and made me definitely a better player, as well.”

They met just once in a Grand Slam final, with Federer raising the trophy at the 2004 US Open.

“I played him the first time when we were maybe 15 in Zurich at the World Youth Cup,” Federer recalled. “We were supposed to play the juniors [in Melbourne], the doubles together, in ’98. He won Adelaide — that was the difference. He got a wild card in singles, doubles and mixed here in the pros. I played the juniors, lost in the semis in the singles and the doubles. We were supposed to play here in the juniors. He dumped me! He was a big shot after winning Adelaide!”

“We actually played some doubles in Wimbledon as well, which was good fun,” Federer continued. “We always got along well. It was sometimes feisty on the court, but it was always respectful. I always admired his work ethic, his on-court fighting spirit, even though it annoyed me sometimes because in the beginning it was more crazy than now.”