Lleyton Hewitt was at dinner on Thursday evening in Newport with friends and family before his Saturday enshrinement into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Australian was sitting at a table with Peter Luczak and Jaymon Crabb when he received a special surprise.
In walked his former coach, Tim Gullikson Career Coach Award winner Tony Roche, who had not told him he was traveling to Rhode Island. Hewitt’s face immediately lit up as he quickly rose from his chair to greet his mentor and friend.
When Hewitt is officially enshrined on Saturday evening, it will be because of his many accomplishments, which include two year-end No. 1 finishes in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, two Grand Slam titles at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon, two Nitto ATP Finals triumphs and plenty more. But to the 41-year-old, this weekend is not about his accomplishments, but the people who helped him along the way.
That is why on Friday morning when he toured the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s museum, the 262nd inducteee was not just there with his own family, but his friends and their families, too.
“To be honest, it wouldn’t mean that much if it was just me, because you look back on your career and so many people are involved in that as well,” Hewitt told ATPTour.com. “I wouldn’t have had the results that I was able to have if you didn’t have those people supporting you, backing you up, helping you out day to day throughout all those years.”
Peter Luczak, Lleyton Hewitt and his father, Glynn Hewitt, tour the museum. Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
When Hewitt — a member of the Class of 2021 being celebrated this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic — walked up the three flights of stairs that lead to the museum on Friday morning, one of the first things the Australian saw was a small plaque with his picture on it.
“Considerably larger than the sum of his parts, the Australian Lleyton Hewitt was an inexhaustible competitor with uncanny court sense and extraordinary match playing acumen,” the plaque read. “Hewitt’s remarkable court coverage and excellent return of serve carried him to career defining triumphs at the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002. He finished both years at No. 1 in the world. Contributing mightily to Australia’s Davis Cup victories in 1999 and 2003, Hewitt was unassailable when it counted, meeting every challenge forthrightly, performing commendably under pressure.”
Those are the stats behind his induction. But the people behind it were those roaming the halls of the Newport Casino. Two dozen family and friends were there with the Australian step for step as he explored the history of the sport at a venue where he won the singles and doubles titles at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in 2014.
Tony Roche, Lleyton Hewitt and his son, Cruz Hewitt, pose for a photo. Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Several children in attendance enjoyed playing a quiz game and taking their turn as broadcasters, voicing over historic points in tennis history. Lleyton’s son, Cruz, had a blast calling a point between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal from the 2012 Australian Open final.
Hewitt said several times how honoured he was to be on the verge of joining some of the best players and most important figures in tennis history in the Hall of Fame. But it was even more important to him to have those who helped him to the accomplishment by his side.
“The people that are here with me in Newport and even my close friends back home in Australia, they know who they are,” Hewitt said. “They’ve been such a big part of my tennis journey and the person I am on and off the court. That’s probably the absolute best moment of this weekend, that I get to share it with those people.”
Stan Smith, a fellow Hall of Famer who has previously served as the institution’s president, said it best as he greeted the Australian towards the end of his tour.
“Welcome!”
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