Page 17 - Aruba Today

SPORTS A17
Friday 22 January 2016

LAST
DANCE

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia gestures during his second round match against David Ferrer of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia,
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

(AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Hewitt’s Last Hurrah a 2nd-Round Loss in Melbourne

JOHN PYE grinding opponents down. Typically, it was a feisty af- 17 Grand Slam titles, at guess guys playing from the
AP Sports Writer His relentless intensity and fair. He launched a verbal Wimbledon in 2003, Hewitt back of the court obviously
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) never-give-in attitude had volley at chair umpire Pas- had won the 2001 U.S. started believing once they
— There’s a reason why critics bristling when he cal Maria after the seventh Open and Wimbledon in saw that I was able to do it,
Lleyton Hewitt could keep emerged as a brash, up- game of the last set when 2002. They were roughly especially on all surfaces.
tennis fans awake until af- and-coming teen wear- he was angered by foot- the same age. Hewitt was “It was really kind of the to-
ter 4 in the morning, even ing his cap back-to-front. fault calls at one end. the youngest man to hold tal changing of how tennis
when he was playing at But they later applauded “Left nothing in the locker the No. 1-ranking, aged 20 was played in a lot of ways,
home, years after winning him when he matured and room. That’s something I years and 8 months in No- especially on grass.”
Grand Slam titles in far- slightly mellowed into a can be proud of,” Hewitt, vember 2001. He held top Apart from Andrew Agassi,
away New York or London. tennis elder. who turns 35 next month, spot for a total of 80 weeks. Hewitt said, “there wasn’t a
Hewitt contested every, sin- Hewitt’s 20th bid to win the told the crowd. “My whole Federer said Hewitt helped lot of guys that would stay
gle point. If he was smaller Australian Open ended in a career, I’ve given 100 per- revolutionize the sport. back and play from the
or less powerful than his ri- 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 second-round cent.” “Yeah, possibly,” Hewitt re- back of the court.”
val across the net, he coun- loss to eighth-seeded David Nobody would argue with plied in a matter-of-fact re-
tered that by tenaciously Ferrer on Thursday night, his that. Before Roger Federer sponse when Federer’s as- Continued on page 20
chasing, retrieving and last singles match as a pro. won the first of his record sessment was mentioned. “I