With LLeyton Hewitt’s legacy on the court extending to a 17th run at his maiden Australian Open title next year, his legacy off the court, particularly in his home state of South Australia, should be getting attention.
Tennis in South Australia has for most part been behind the rest of Australia with only three Grand Slam singles champions in the history of the four slams.
Adrian Quist (Australian Open in 1936, 1940 and 1948), Ken McGregor (Australian Open in 1952) and Lleyton Hewitt (US Open 2001, Wimbledon 2002) are the only South Australians to win a singles Grand Slam title.
In fact when Hewitt won his first Grand Slam and became the world number one, he was the first South Australian to do so since McGregor 49 years before.
Recently Hewitt also took over from Quist as the leading winner in Davis Cup, with the record held by the South Australian since 1948 when he won 43 times in his representative career.
Now it seems Hewitt is passing the baton on to a new batch of South Australians and others who – like me – have watched Hewitt in their living room since they were children.
For starters there is Cobdogla local in Luke Saville who, at 18 years of age, has already tasted success in the juniors and climbed 900 spots in the ATP rankings this year.
Last year, the Riverland talent won the juniors at Wimbledon and continued that this year to become the third Australian winner in six years of the Junior Australian Open.
He also followed that up with his first professional win on the Pro Tour with a win in Thailand and then in Cairns earlier in the year.
With a big chance Saville could be given a wildcard into next year’s Australian Open, the world’s the oyster for the South Australian.
Another who has enjoyed a bumper 2012 is 19 year old Alex Bolt, with the South Australian from Murray Bridge also climbing the rankings this year.
After starting the year at just under 900 in the world, one Pro Tour win in Australia earlier in the year and another last week at Hong Kong have seen Bolt rise up to 450 in the world, making him another youngster to look out for on the pro circuit.
The success of South Australians continues at the Under 18s and 16s level with Thanasi Kokkinakis and Bradley Mousley having recent success in both titles.
Kokkinakis, from Seacombe Heights in the south of Adelaide, was a recent finalist at the Under 18 championships, losing to Canberran Nick Kyrgios in the final.
With a current ATP ranking of 751 in the world, the 16 year old is already starting to make a name for himself in the tour and many are tipping him as another potential star for the future.
In the Under 16s, South Australian Bradley Mousley took out the title defeating Harry Bourchier in three tough sets.
The South Australian, from Wynn Vale – north of Adelaide – is currently just outside the top 1000 in the ATP rankings and after tasting success in the juniors this year he could be another player to keep an eye on.
Finally, fellow South Australian Jack Schipanski – currently 927 in the world – is another to look out for in future years.
After recently competing in the Under 18 championships and failing to make it past the round robin phase, 2013 will be a big year for Schipanski as he moves from being a junior to playing in the seniors.
Indirectly or directly, these five players are the legacy of Hewitt’s career, with his performances improving tennis in South Australia.
In the case of Luke Saville and Jack Schipanski both have Hewitt as their inspiration for playing tennis. For others, Hewitt is seen as the benchmark if they want to be successful.
Current Australian number one Marinko Matosevic has found inspiration for his feats this year from the South Australian champion, while former number one Bernard Tomic has also cited Hewitt as a key to his success at Wimbledon last year.
At the end of his career, Hewitt will go down as one of the greats of the modern era of tennis, his legacy off the court though will make sure Australia and South Australia have players ready to replicate his success and add to the list of Grand Slam singles winners.
duecer
Guest
BA - I think it shows there are different attitudes according to what sport you follow. If you're an AFL or NRL follower, rooting dogs or being a drug addled star might be the go, but in tennis or golf, if you stray off the expected norms, don't expect anyone to justify your misbehaviour. This may have been different 20-30 years ago, but at present you're expected to conduct yourself a bit above the 'Jersey Shore' mentality in these sports.
clipper
Guest
Makes one wonder if Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had not come along if the triumvirate would've been Safin, Roddick and Hewitt. Safin, although temperamental and prone to injury was a fantastic player and trashed Sampras at the US open final. Hewitt also thrashed Sampras at the US open final the year after, but seemed to lose half a step after his first round loss at Wimbledon to Karlovic. Of course there is no way they would have been as dominant, but obviously they would've won a few more slams.
B.A Sports
You are having a laugh That is seriously the weakest argument, though probably unsurprisingly, i think i have ever seen in an online forum So lets park the things from more than 10 years ago given that people do grow up over the course of a decade and look at all those examples you put forward 2005: Someone spits at him - perhaps your anger there is misdirected 2006 - He was right about Rebound Ace. How many tournaments are played on Rebound Ace or using the Rebound Ace technology now? Infact the Rebound Ace people now create their cushioned courts using the same technology as is used by the two companies, California Products and Decoturf who make the surface used at the Aus Open and US Open. 2008 - Hewitt smashes a racquet - whoooo what a bad boy a tennis player smashed a racquet - What an outrage! 2009 - he suggests women play 5 sets - WOW - What pratish behaviour! How dare he provide an opinion... oh an opinion that has been expressed by many over many years. Is he perfect, no, but show me the person who is. Long and the short of it is, have you met the bloke? Assuming no, how can you tell me what this guy is like? I'm off to get a haircut..
Johnno
Guest
Jocelyn to wrap it up, there clearly seems to be a lot of the off friend on on field behaviour and even the players reaching there full potential, and just problems in general, a lot of it is attiributed to there childhood, in the early adult parts of there careers 18-25. After 25 , many but not all but many seem to settle down, grow up a bit as adults and mature, and simply let go of there difficult childhoods, and no longer see themselves as children or teenagers but as adults. Many of the players simply had to grow up to young when they weren't ready to, and tennis was everything where as they lacked development in other basic life ,areas. I am no expert on this subject, but i have a feeling there is now restrictions on how many tournaments players over 18 can play on the ATP or WTA tour, I could be wrong but just a hunch , i read something about this issue, and tournament resections, coz i defiantly don't see as many 16 or 17 yr olds on the tour full time like in the past, just a few of them playing a few tournaments a year but no a full program, and that'a a good thing too.
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
Johnno...I agree McEnroe is brilliant speaker and intelligent man I was always his biggest fat of his tennis....but even her attributes a lot of his early behaviour to the lack of recognition and stand offish military based childhood he had....remember Mac was born in Wiesbarden Germany while his father was stationed there at the US base.....yes Patrick McEnroe is also a super intelligent well balanced guy who was quite happy for his older bro to take the limelight....if you read any of McEnroes biographies he attributes a lot of his young attitude to making his way to school everyday in Manhattan from Long Island on public transport.... I have refrained from saying too much about the upbringing of Hewitt as I think most people can read between the lines...
Johnno
Guest
The funny thing is , John Mcernoe was a brat on the court, and was probably a bit tempremenetla off the court too in his younger years. But 1 thing John Mcenore did have and i's why I think he succeeded where as Hweitt didn't., and I will add Pat Rafter in this to Joceyln. John Mcenore was actually a well balanced guy believe it or not, . He had a stable childhood and family life, his younger bother Patrick tennis pro too, and a a top ranked doubles palyer won a few grand slams doubles from memory, made a singles final. But Mcenroe often talks about how he did well in tennis coz he had a balanced childhood. No sychopants tennis live in academies, or crazy dads stalking every move relentlessly every ball a matter of life and death, eg like Capriati's dad, or Dokic's dad, or Andre Agassi's dad, or Makr phillipousous's dad, steffi graf's dad. All these players were made to grow up too fast. John went to a normal high school, played tennis seriously but completed high school, played music too, lived with his parents, just a normal middle class upbringing. John Mcenroe, Rojer Federer, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Pat Rafter all had every stable home lifes, where as those above didn't and in a way missed out on there childhood and i think the Hewitts were overberaining too travelling everywhere him as an adult. And it's funny all the players Jocelyn, that i just said above me had mare more stable lives on tour in there early careers, where as ther others were train wrecks for a lot of there careers. John Mcenroe now runs an academy in New York, but it's a very well balanced one. the kids live at home, or a billeted out in stable families, they go to a normal regular high school full time, normal hours, they are encouraged to develop other interests, they don't obsess over tennis, it's just part of building the base, and there development. So his style he said, he promoted balance, where as some of other tennis academies are over pedantic and tennis obsessed, .
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
Like John McEnroe, it is a shame that a player will be remembered more for their behaviour than their tennis. If Lleyton Hewitt had the demeanour and manners of a Pat Rafter or Roger Federer he would be a national hero...but alas....too much success too young thinking the world revolves around him doesn't help....insert the names of many an AFL footballer here for example......also family upbringing has a lot to do with it...Pat Rafter once said that growing up in a big family if he ever got a big head it was "beaten" out of him pretty quick...he remains a humble pleasant well mannered man...John McEnroe was just the product of the dog eat dog society of New York city...where many have such a defensive attitude that the world is out to rip them off ( and in New York they quite often do).....also some sportspeople are not always the sharpest tools in the shed and engage their mouth before their brain...I am sure in his twilight days Hewitt severely regrets his immature comments and behaviour of yesteryear.
brian drian
Guest
if you are too besotted with mr hewitt to see how he is a prat, try reading the comments on this roar article. http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/01/23/why-does-everybody-hate-lleyton/ and heres a choice list of his prattish behaviour (taken from one of the comments) in case that is beyond you. A timeline of Hewitt indiscretions January 2000: A teenage Hewitt, upset after his hometown crowd raucously cheered on his unheralded Aussie opponent Dejan Petrovic during the AAPT Championships in Adelaide, slams “the stupidity of the Australian public” at a press conference. Hewitt goes on to win the tournament but a month later, Inside Sport magazine rates him as Australia’s least-admired sports person. May 2001: Hewitt is fined US$1000 for calling chair umpire Andres Egli a “spastic” during a French Open fourth round match. Hewitt apologises, but declines an invitation from the Spastic Centre of Australia to visit one of its centres. “It’s a great shame that having spasticity, which is one of the major conditions associated with having cerebral palsy, should be used in such a derogatory way,” says Spastic Centre chief executive Rob White. September 2001: Hewitt is accused of racism during a match against African-American opponent James Blake at the US Open. Upset at twice being foot-faulted, Hewitt approached the umpire demanding the linesman in question – also an African-American – be changed. “Look at him”, Hewitt said, gesturing first at Blake and then at the linesman, “look at him and you tell me what the similarity is”. Hewitt insists there were no racial overtones in his outburst, escapes punishment and wins the tournament, beating Pete Sampras in the final. January 2005: Juan Ignacio Chela takes exception to Hewitt’s on-court histrionics during an Australian Open match. The Argentine, furious at Hewitt having celebrated an unforced error, deliberately serves directly at Hewitt and then spits at him during the change of ends. Hewitt’s rift with Argentina deepens during a spiteful Davis Cup tie that culminates in Argentinian newspaper La Nacion listing Hewitt as the country’s fifth most-hated sportsman. “You really feel like killing him”, says Argentine player Guillermo Coria. “As a person, I would rather not win a single tournament in my life than be like him”. Compatriot David Nalbandian later reveals that “nobody [on tour] is a friend of him”. January 2005 and 2006: Hewitt blames his exits from the Australian Open on the slow and uneven rebound ace surfaces at Melbourne Park. “I don’t think there’s been a lot of homework done on how the balls play on this surface & I feel like I’m fighting with people that we should be working together to try and make Australian tennis better,” he tells a press conference in 2006, insinuating that event organisers should be tailoring the surface to better suit his own game. June 2008: Hewitt cops a US$1000 fine for unsportsmanlike behaviour during his first-round Wimbledon clash with Dutchman Robin Hasse. Ignoring a warning from chair umpire Fergus Murphy, Hewitt smashed his racquet on the ground and launched several verbal tirades at a line judge for foot-faulting him. When asked if Murphy was right to call his conduct unsportsmanlike, Hewitt says: “I would doubt it. No, I would be fighting that”. June 2009: Hewitt stirs controversy at Wimbledon by suggesting females should not play five-set matches because they don’t possess sufficient fitness levels. “There would obviously be question marks (over whether) a lot of them could last that much”, Hewitt tells reporters. now go polish your mullet.
B.A Sports
You just embaressed yourself Brian. How is he a "prat"? Alot of people didn't like Lleyton's agressive nature when he was a youngster, but now we would kill to see a little of the Hewitt tenacity in some of our better players.
brian drian
Guest
His legacy is putting people off tennis by being an embarrassing prat.
Adam Ludeke
Roar Pro
It's hard for anyone to win slams in this era, I think the last 30 or so have been won by 5 guys. Hewitt has had a great career and will probably be best remembered for David Cup heroics over the years.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Hewitt was always unlucky not to have won more grand slams. He was growing up with the next generation, the generation that would super seed the likes of pat rafter, Andre Agassi, Pete sampras. Being the world no. 1 at such a young age was always going to be difficult to handle and with marat safin and roddick hot on his heels it would only be a matter of time. But then before these three had a chance to flourish Federer all guns a blazing. Then nadal, now djokovic and these three players before saw their chance go by as quick as the wind. Can't really complain to much when you have played with 4 of the greatest. Sampras, Agassi, federer, Nadal. He has done us proud.
Johnno
Guest
The little cheecky rat bag, boy next door has done well. World no 1, US open, Wimbledon, Davis cup, got married to a nice girl soap star Bec Cartwirhgt, had a few kids, made some good cash, is a surprisingly very decent commentator, done well Lytoyn, your always there tennis parents, and Australia, are proud of ya. Done good lad.