Is there a better fighter in Australian sport than Lleyton Hewitt? As he is in France with his biggest challenge yet, we look back on some of the best matches played by Lleyton Hewitt.
10) 2001 US Open, Hewitt vs Andy Roddick
In a match that went the full journey, Lleyton battled against Roddick and the crowd to win a memorable match on American soil.
From there he would go on and win the championship.
This roller coaster match between the two up-and-comers saw Hewitt take a two sets to one lead before Roddick took the fourth 6-3.
In the end, a controversial last game and an Andy Roddick meltdown helped Hewitt achieve the win over the American 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
9) 2001 US Open final, Hewitt v Pete Sampras
In the 2001 US Open semi-final, it was a case of the young up-and-comer versus the American superstar.
Pete Sampras had played in the final the year before against Marat Safin and gone down but this year he beat the defending champion in the semi-finals.
Sampras was favourite going into the match but the first set went the Australians way in a tight 7-6 affair.
After that, Hewitt lifted his game and Sampras couldn’t match him, the young Aussie at just 20 years of age had won the title and shortly after became the new world number one.
The scoreline told the story, 7-6, 6-1, 6-1.
8) 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Hewitt v David Nalbandian
In one of the most surprising Wimbledons in history, all but two of the top 17 seeds (Hewitt and Tim Henman) were knocked out before or in the third round.
Adding to the tension, the defending champion Goran Ivanisevic was not competing in the tournament.
The door was wide open for the world number one and stormed through it.
After knocking out the British hope Henman in the semi-finals, Lleyton progressed to the final to take on Nalbandian and he played brilliantly.
The Argentine, in his first grand slam final, was crushed by Hewitt 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in an excellent display of grass court tennis.
7) 1998 Adelaide, Hewitt v Jason Stoltenberg
At just 16 and ranked 550 in the world, Hewitt recorded his first ever tour win over fellow Aussie and good friend Jason Stoltenberg, announcing his arrival on the tennis scene.
Playing in his home town of Adelaide at Memorial Drive, Hewitt had to come from behind and fight off some nerves in the deciding set tie-break to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-6.
6) 2013 US Open, Hewitt v Juan Martin Del Potro
A very high quality second round match on paper proved as much on-court, as Lleyton Hewitt took on the big-serving Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.
Hewitt won the first set, Del Potro the next two to take a decisive lead.
However it was the court set tie-break where the match was won and lost.
Hewitt lifted to take the tie-break 7-6(2), which opened up the match as he pulled off a quality win.
The final result 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1.
5) 2005 Australian Open, Hewitt v Rafael Nadal
At the time little was known around Australia about the young, left-handed Spaniard Rafael Nadal, but this game certainly changed that.
Hewitt had come into this tournament in good form and confident he could go all the way. Nadal had been around for a while now but had never been able to match it with the big guns.
This fourth round match was a brilliant spectacle as the two different tennis styles battled it out on Rod Laver Arena.
Nadal pushed Hewitt all the way but the Australian was victorious in a match that saw the arrival of Rafael Nadal in Australia – four years later he would take the title.
In the end though Hewitt went through to the quarter finals 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6, 6-2.
4) 2003 Davis Cup final, Hewitt v Juan Carlos Ferrero
Lleyton Hewitt had played in the previous Davis Cup win in France four year earlier, but he had not achieved the wins he wanted.
Coming into the final of the Davis Cup this time round, the final was on grass and Lleyton was in good form.
Rod Laver Arena was the setting for this magic match that helped win Australia the Davis Cup in 2003.
Hewitt started slow before winning the second set to only lose the third.
However, as he so often has, he stood up in the fourth set tie-break to win it 7-6(0) and then run away with the match in the final set.
Hewitt’s ability to step up to the challenge in the breaker was the difference.
Victory to the home crowd favourite, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.
3) 2008 Australian Open, Hewitt v Marcos Baghdatis
Two warriors with very similar baseline games played each other in one of the most remarkable games of the decade.
The match started at 11:52 pm due to the fact Roger Federer had just survived a crucial match against Janko Tipsarevic.
In extraordinary circumstances, at 4:34 in the morning, Hewitt had prevailed over Baghdatis 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3.
A match that will be remembered for the times it was played, and the exchanges in rallies over the gritty five sets.
2) 2005 Australian Open, Hewitt v Nalbandian
This quarter final match was a thriller between two great competitors.
Rod Laver Arena witnessed a brutal mental and physical battle going all five sets and finishing 10-8 to Hewitt in the fitfth set.
Nalbandian was gallant fighting back from two sets down and never gave up in the final set.
Again Hewitt just too good and the fitter player physically; the Australian prevailed 3-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 10-8.
1) 2003 Davis Cup, Hewitt v Roger Federer
Unquestionably Lleyton Hewitt’s best ever comeback against the greatest of them all.
In a match that would determine the result of the tie, Hewitt came back from two sets down and Federer serving for the match to somehow pull off the unthinkable yet again on Rod Laver Arena.
Federer was in super touch in the opening two and a half sets, but the pressure got to him and Hewitt took his opportunities to find himself back in the match and get aggressive from the baseline.
Despite the two grand slam victories, Hewitt himself rates this match very highly due to the situation he was in and the great man he was playing.
An unbelievable victory for Hewitt, granting him respect all across the tennis world.
Hewitt defeated Federer 5-7, 2-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-1.
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