Hewitt Prepares For Final Bow

Twenty years ago, Lleyton Hewitt was about to make his name as the youngest ever qualifier in Australian Open history, aged 15 years and 11 months. Two Grand Slam titles and 80 weeks at World No. 1 later, he is now just 48 hours away from embarking on his final Melbourne campaign and a fond farewell to professional tennis, before stepping into the role of Davis Cup captaincy.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know how it feels,” admitted Hewitt to the assembled media at Melbourne Park on Saturday. “It’s 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’ve 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.

“I’ve tried to enjoy it as much as possible. A couple days out from a slam, you’re always a bit on edge, a bit nervous. I think that’s the same for every player. Doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it, if it’s your first or possibly your last slam.”

As fate would have it, for just the second time in his 20 successive appearances at the Australian Open, Hewitt will face a fellow Aussie. The one other occasion came in the 2003 second round against Todd Larkham. Larkham got just two games. World No. 134 James Duckworth will be Hewitt’s opponent on Tuesday as he graces Rod Laver Arena for possibly the last time.

The 23-year-old Duckworth is someone Hewitt has mentored closely of late. Will all that advice come back to bite him? “We’ll see how good a student he is!” said the Adelaide native. “These guys, I speak to them all the time. Ducks was text messaging me yesterday morning before the draw was out.

“So, obviously I think both of us will look back on it. No matter what happens, it will be a satisfying enjoyment of going out there and playing against him. It’s his only opportunity to play against me obviously on a big court as well. I think later on in our careers, his career, mine once I’ve retired, it’s something that we’ll enjoy.

“It was always bound to happen, wasn’t it? Especially now that I’ve got a second hat on, a full-time job as Davis Cup captain. It’s awkward, but in another way it’s fun to go out there with Ducks. I’ve been helping him the past 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.”

Melbourne Park is a vault of memories for Hewitt, some momentous – his 2005 semi-final win over Andy Roddick – and others that he may sooner forget. His extensive injury catalogue has never forced him to miss a trip to the Australian Open. Indeed, every spell on the sidelines only served as further motivation to extend his career and keep savouring the challenge of the ATP World Tour. As they say, you’re a long time retired.

“When you’re away from the game and you miss the hard training, doing all the preparation, it all depended on how motivated you were. If I wasn’t motivated to still go on and push myself, go on and do gym sessions by myself, hop on the practice court, I still wouldn’t be playing.

“That’s what’s pushed me the past few years. I don’t struggle for self-motivation, to get up early and do the hard work that no one sees. There’s no crowds or cameras around there. It’s just you in the gym or on the practice court. That’s one of the things I will miss, not having to go out there and push yourself day in and day out.”

One thing is for certain, whenever the final bow comes for Hewitt, he will have left everything on the court.

#OneLastTime