Just How Good Was Lleyton Hewitt?

Just how good was Leyton Hewitt?... or how quickly to we forget?

This is Hewitt's career summary from the ATP site upto and including 2005

2005 -- Won sole title in Sydney...Followed with his first final at Australian Open (d. Roddick in SF, l. to Safin)...Finalist at AMS Indian Wells (l. to Federer)...Injured his right big toe there and underwent surgery on Mar. 24...Then fell at his home in Sydney on May 9 and cracked a rib...Returned June 7 at Queen's with QF, then SF at Wimbledon (l. to Federer)...Also reached SF at AMS Cincinnati (l. to Roddick) and US Open (l. to Federer)...It was seventh straight Grand Slam event (2004-05) he lost to eventual champion...Reached Bangkok QF, but withdrew due to a left groin injury...Underwent left big toe surgery in early October...Qualified for Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai but withdrew due to arrival of first child...

2004 -- Won four titles, including 20th of his career in Sydney...Fell to eventual champion No. 1 Federer at Australian Open (4th RD), Wimbledon (QF) and US Open (F)...Also lost to eventual winner Gaudio in QF at Roland Garros...Won his first European indoor title in Rotterdam...Reached AMS Cincinnati final (l. to Agassi)...Compiled a 16-match winning streak with titles in Washington and Long Island before US Open loss to Federer...Runner-up at Tennis Masters Cup in Houston (l. to Federer)...Recorded over 500 aces (523), finishing No. 9...

2003 -- Finished as No. 2 Aussie (behind Philippoussis), winning two titles and leading his country to Davis Cup final...Lost No. 1 Ranking after 75 straight weeks on Apr. 27, 2003...Won back-to-back titles in Scottsdale (d. Philippoussis) and AMS Indian Wells (d. Kuerten)...Became first defending champion at Wimbledon to lose in opening round (l. to Karlovic) since Manuel Santana in 1967... Finalist in Los Angeles...

2002 -- Became only fourth player to rank No. 1 for every week during year and seventh player to finish No. 1 for at least two straight years...Co-leader in titles (w/Agassi) with five and led circuit with 61 match wins, highlighted by titles at Wimbledon (d. Henman in SF, Nalbandian in F) and Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai...Went 2-1 in round robin play, then defeated Federer in SF and Ferrero 6-4 in fifth set in final (had trailed 1-3 in last set)...Overcame chicken pox to claim San Jose title (d. Agassi)...Won first career AMS title in Indian Wells (d. Sampras in SF, Henman in F)...Won third straight Queen's title...Streak of 10 straight finals won come to an end with runner-up at AMS Cincinnati (l. to Moya)...Also finalist at AMS Paris (l. to Safin)...Had most AMS match wins (23)...Advanced to SF at US Open (l. to Agassi)...Led circuit in return games won (33 percent) for third straight year and points won returning first serve (35 percent)...No. 10 in aces with a career-best 536...Earned a career-high $4,619,386...

2001 -- Finished as youngest player (20 yrs., 8 mos.) and first Australian to finish No. 1 in history of ATP Rankings...Accomplished feat by winning his career-best sixth title of year at Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney (d. Grosjean), overtaking Kuerten who came in with 48-point lead...Became first Aussie to win year-end championship...Led ATP with 80 match wins and was co-leader (w/Kuerten) with six titles, including Sydney, Queen's (d. Sampras in SF, Henman in F), 's-Hertogenbosch and Tokyo...Won first Grand Slam title at US Open, defeating Roddick (QF), Kafelnikov (SF) and Sampras (F)...Led his country to Davis Cup final (l. 3-2 to France)...

2000 -- Became first teenager to win four titles in a season since Sampras in '90 and finished as No. 1 Aussie for first time...Also first teenager to qualify for Tennis Masters Cup (1-2 in round robin play) and finish in Top 10 since Andrei Medvedev in '93...Led his country to Davis Cup final (l. 3-1 to Spain)...Winner in Adelaide, Sydney, Scottsdale, Queen's...Finalist at AMS Stuttgart...Achieved first Grand Slam SF at the US Open (l. to Sampras)...Won his first Grand Slam doubles title at US Open (w/Mirnyi)...Youngest male (at 19 yrs., 6 mos.) to win a Slam doubles crown in Open Era...

1999 -- Helped his country to Davis Cup title (d. France) with 4-2 mark in his debut during year...Won Delray Beach title and runner-up in Adelaide...

1998 -- Won Adelaide title as youngest tour winner (16 yrs., 10 mos.) since Chang in '88 and lowest-ranked (550) winner in ATP history...

1997 -- Youngest (15 yrs., 11 mos.) qualifier in history of Australian Open (l. to Bruguera)...

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Lleyton-Hewitt.aspx#careerHighlights

The first thing that stands out is how good he was from a very young age. Something that is true for most of the truly great players but Leyton was exceptional as he is often listed as the "youngest". To summarize his achievements. He won the US Open and Wimbledon and was finalist at the AO and another US Open. He won 2 Masters cups and was also a finalist. He was part of an Austalian Davis Cup winning team and also a finalist. He was the youngest player to reach number one. He also was the youngest male player to win a slam doubles title (the US Open). All his achievements took place in a relatively short space of time and many of them took place when he was younger than average.

The second thing that stands out was how rapid was his decline. If you read the entry for 2005 there are a few clues as to why this might be. It reads like something from casualty. Watching Leyton at the AO this year one of the commentators was listing all the operations Leyton has had... I won't go into details but apparently he is held together with little more than brown paper and string. That is the reason for his rapid decline. How sad but how brave of him to battle on. Or maybe he just loves being out there on a tennis court and doesn't want to give up.

Also noticed in his last year that he was relatively injury free (2004) he had the misfortune to run into the newly hot Federer at the AO, Wimbledon AND the US Open.

Yeah, just when he gets off the canvas he has his nemesis to punch him back down!

I'm a well known fan of the guy; guts to share around six men and a long standing love of the sport. I was priviliged to watch him lose in 5 brave sets to Andy Roddick at the Wimbledon 2009 quarters, the year lest we forget that Roddick beat Murray and barely lost to Federer.

I always remember how he annihilated Sampras, but most painfully how hopeless it felt when Henman faced him at Wimbledon in 2002

This report from 2002 says "As for watching Hewitt, well, the guy's a genius, capable of playing the best tennis most of us have ever seen"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/jul/08/wimbledon2002.wimbledon

Hewitt was a ferocious competitor and a talented player - more talented than the likes of Nadal and Robredo.

I am amazed that people think Hewitt was a push over.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=H432&oId=N409

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=H432&oId=D643

Look at 2007 W v Djokovic or 2012 AO.

lovely reminder Julius - gutted for Tim, but Hewitt looked invincible all through Queens and Wimbledon.

Of course no-one is arguing that Hewitt can be considered as great as Djokovic or as consistent as Murray. It is difficult to argue he was as good as Murray because Murray's record suggests very differently. No injuries probably and possibly just loss of form mean that Hewitt was simply a wonderful player for a couple of seasons and that he promised much but was overtaken by others.

However, he was bl**dy good in 2001 and 2002 and always an extremely exciting competitor to watch. I believe, at his best, he was as good as anyone and I believe that because of watching him play not because I've overindulged on statistics. Put it this way, he was much more memorable at his best than many others - and despite his hip replacements, knee replacements etc, a shadow of that brilliance is still evident in his battling game.

JuliusHMarx wrote:This report from 2002 says "As for watching Hewitt, well, the guy's a genius, capable of playing the best tennis most of us have ever seen"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/jul/08/wimbledon2002.wimbledon

Ha ha! Have just read that entire Guardian report it was very funny.

I'll never forgive Hewitt for ruining my dreams of the tiger in a Wimbledon final. I remember watching Hewitt's quarter final (can't remember who it was against) and he only just scraped through. If only he'd lost we could have had a Brit in the final on jubilee year! As it was he destroyed poor Tim. Boo to Hewitt!

How good was he? Well he was world class. Before his body collapsed on him his movement was phenomenal. Maybe as good as the top guys today. Certainly not far off.

But it was his attitude I loved. So competetive and focussed. A born winner. He'd have quite a few more slams under his belt if his body had held up.

Or Safin had concentrated on Tennis rather than extra-curricular activities....

Apparently he was nowhere near the 5'11 listed on ATP site...more like 5'9' so that adds to his achievement. He was a gutsy player for sure, the kind of guy who is always buzzing around your ankles like a Jack Russell all day long. He was a talented player who peaked young...and was adaptable on most surfaces, although clay wasn't really his bag, he was more a faster court player. His record at Queen's is phenomenal...makes you wonder what he might have done at Wimbledon up to 2005ish had the courts stayed fast.

Where he really excelled was Davis Cup. He was a Trojan, truly hard to beat there, and had some amazing results over 5 sets in those matches. He wore the shirt with pride...no wonder he (2009-10) and Rafter (recently) have been outspoken about Gin & Tomic.

laverfan wrote:I am amazed that people think Hewitt was a push over.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=H432&oId=N409

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=H432&oId=D643

Look at 2007 W v Djokovic or 2012 AO.

Or when he beat Del Potro at Wimbledon 2009

lydian wrote:Apparently he was nowhere near the 5'11 listed on ATP site...more like 5'9' so that adds to his achievement. He was a gutsy player for sure, the kind of guy who is always buzzing around your ankles like a Jack Russell all day long. He was a talented player who peaked young...and was adaptable on most surfaces, although clay wasn't really his bag, he was more a faster court player. His record at Queen's is phenomenal...makes you wonder what he might have done at Wimbledon up to 2005ish had the courts stayed fast.

Where he really excelled was Davis Cup. He was a Trojan, truly hard to beat there, and had some amazing results over 5 sets in those matches. He wore the shirt with pride...no wonder he (2009-10) and Rafter (recently) have been outspoken about Gin & Tomic.

The big change in speeds was from like 01-02 at wimby right?
How big a diffo in speed was there when agassi won it and hewitt won it?

Think the grass at Wimbledon before the change was like 70% rye and 30% something else (Can't recall off the top of me head) and for Agassi at the time, how he won it was just ridiculous.

legendkillarV2 wrote:Think the grass at Wimbledon before the change was like 70% rye and 30% something else (Can't recall off the top of me head) and for Agassi at the time, how he won it was just ridiculous.

Yep couldn't agree more. To return those serves on those courts required lightning reflex and anticipation. I don't think anyone even thought it was possible at the time for a guy to win W from the baseline.

Don't want to get too bogged down in it and hijack the thread, but is that one of the most impressive feats? I mean it was becoming a power game then right? more so than when borg was around obvs with the wooden rackets.

Would any other predominant baseliner be able to emulate agassi?

For those of you questioning Hewitt's superiority over Nadal, let us refer you to Hewitt's dominant victory over a peak Nadal on the ultra slow hard courts of the Australian Open back in 2005.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kphXqRLvn1o

Yep...and against one of the GOAT (may I use that term?) servers Goran at that. The way he hit the ball at SW19 was a thing of wonder, the earliness, the sheer power...unreal at the time. I can still remember people gasping in the crowd (and me) at the sound of the ball coming of his racquet. That was sheer talent right there. I always wonder (like Borg) what Agassi could have done had he not hated the game and really applied himself from the word go...should have been up with Pete, at least, slamwise. God given ball striking ability...watch him ralley with Federer at 35 year old at USO 2005...unreal. The last man to win all 4 slams as they were...truly different. Actually the only man.

LS, grass was slowing down from 2001-2 but it continued to slow greatly to around 2006 with reduced slowing thereafter (in my opinion). Think they made the smaller balls from 2003 onwards too?

Yeah but not bad for an unseeded 18 yr old on hardcourt SH. I know he did well vs Federer at Miami 2004 but this was Nadal really announcing himself on the world (slam) stage there. Hewitt wouldn't beat him again in match play...(Hewitt did win Queens 2006 but it was a Nadal retirement at 1 set all). After that its 5-0 Nadal.
Funnily enough Hewitt has never won a set better than 6-2 vs Nadal but Nadal has 6 breadsticks over Hewitt, even going back to 2004.
I don't think you'll find many who would place Hewitt over Nadal overall, for me Hewitt is a bit Nadal-lite but that still makes him a great player nonetheless and I enjoyed watching him.

Agassi was amazing. Perhaps the cleanest and purest ball striker I've ever seen.

Think Lydian is spot on with Goran. Ljubicic seemed to even model his serve on Goran. Thing is with Gorans serve it was difficult to pick up and read. Agassi was hitting winners from absolute impossible angles. Goran was a nailed on certainty for that Wimbledon final.

You could argue Lendl was the first of the power baseliners if you will. Nadal certainly over time has taken it to new levels. Added fitness and speed yes, but also the topspin and angles he generates makes the court even bigger to cover.

Agassi was the guy I wanted to play like. Stand 2 feet behind the service line and half volley the serve back at speed. And let me tell you, some of those old ladies at the club could still serve quite well for their age.

Great posts guys, yeah LK you're right, Luber did model his serve on his compatriot (like Dimitrov is now doing with Federer). If you watch that MP Wimb92 Agassi returns the ball fizzing down to Goran's toe from a bullet serve.
I always (and have stated this a few times) remember Agassi playing lefty Woodforde at Vienna Masters indoors on a quick surface. Woodforde's serve was quick and decent, and he was a top20 player at the time, but Agassi absolutely annihilated him 6-0 6-0. Most amazing hour of clean ball striking I think I've seen (funnily, only topped for me by Sampras beating Agassi at Wimb99 because the opposition was that bit greater).

I miss the way Agassi used to clobber returns back...ok Djokovic is a great returner but he doesn't whack it back like Agassi used to leaving the server floundering and flailing.

Its like in this match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED6zx87SeoU from 1994, Agassi could return Pete's serve with interest. The balls were hit just about as hard then as now, if not harder actually if you look, but it was Sampras's FH that was particularly lethal - think that shot would have stood up today still. Arrrrh, the good old days.