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Match Result: Lleyton Hewitt has lost in an epic five set battle with Jarkko Nieminen as his Wimbledon singles career draws to a close.
NIEMINEN 3 6 4 6 11
HEWITT 6 3 6 0 9
Up two sets to one, after surviving a barrage of break points in the 3rd set, Hewitt would run out of puff as Nieminen just held on against the South Aussie.
Hewitt though had his chances.
After losing the 4th set in a bagel, Hewitt would have three straight breaks during the final set.
Unfortunately though he couldn’t consolidate as his opponent, who was also in his final Wimbledon, broke back.
Hewitt would then face three match points, saving them all, before holding serve each time until the 20th game of the match.
From 40-30 up, Hewitt would lose the next three points, to end his singles campaign at Wimbledon.
In a fitting tribute from Nieminen, he allowed the Aussie to say good bye to everyone for the last time.
Nieminen now goes on to take Novak Djokovic in the 2nd round. How he goes finding the energy to be competitive will be interesting.
Hewitt now plays doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis in what could be his last match at Wimbledon. That will be played either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Is this the last match for the 2002 Wimbledon champion in his final appearance at the All England club? Find out as The Roar has live scores and commentary of Lleyton Hewitt‘s match against Jarkko Nieminen from around 10:30pm AEST.
So it all comes down to this.
Win, and the Wimbledon dream stays alive, for Lleyton Hewitt.
Lose, and his 18th and final Wimbledon campaign is over, after a distinguished career at the All-England club.
After falling outside of the top 100, in the last two months, Lleyton Hewitt needed a wildcard for his final Wimbledon appearance after announcing he will retire at the end of the 2016 Australian Open.
He will play a fellow retiree, Jarkko Nieminen, who has made the decision to finish playing tennis at the end of the Stockholm Open in October.
The former world number 13, and two time ATP singles title winner, will be regarded the best player to come from Finland.
Unfortunately, at the end of today, the Wimbledon career of one of these players will be over. Just who it will be is hard to pick.
Hewitt has hardly played this year and has only won once in seven matches.
His last match, at Queens against Kevin Anderson, was a heartbreaking one as he missed a match point opportunity to lose in three sets.
That is the key to tonight’s match. Hewitt needs to take his chances when they are presented to him by Nieminen. If he doesn’t take them then his Wimbledon career will be over quickly.
Hewitt has a fantastic record against Nieminen, not losing to the Finn in five meetings. They have faced each other twice at Grand Slam level with Hewitt winning both meetings.
In 2005, at the US Open, Hewitt won a five set classic. Two years later, at the French Open, Hewitt would win again in four sets.
The last meeting between the two was in 2012 at the Stockholm Open which Hewitt won in three sets. All matches, except for one, has had a set won by both players. Expect this to be close.
Nieminen’s strength is his forehand. He wins a lot of points from it through his power. His serve is also reliable but not something that should worry Hewitt. The South Australian is still one of the best returners in the game.
If this is Hewitt’s last match at Wimbledon, he has left plenty of memories at the All England Club. In 2002, he would only lose two sets on his way to the title.
Over the journey he has made one semi-final, three quarter finals, and four fourth round appearances in his 18 years in Wimbledon.
He will be remembered as a great at Wimbledon that could have won more titles if injury didn’t come to the fore.
Here’s hoping it can last one more match after tonight, and end on centre court against Novak Djokovic or Philipp Kohlschreiber. Hewitt is a big chance to win this match and is the favourite with the bookies.
If he takes his chances he can win one final match at Wimbledon. I predict one more fairy-tale win for Rusty in a five set match.
PREDICTION – Hewitt 3-2
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