Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt made a trademark loud statement to the rest of the tennis world after defeating long-time rival Roger Federer in the final of the Brisbane International.
The 32-year-old Australian veteran defeated Federer 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to claim his first ATP title since 2010.
Hewitt’s return to health and subsequent comeback saw the veteran fight back from a 233 world ranking to No.60 heading into the Australian Open lead-up tournament, looking to have neared peak condition after making waves in a number of grand slam comeback appearances last year.
A 17-time grand slam champ, Federer wasn’t able to keep up with a rejuvenated Hewitt, who hasn’t won one of the four majors since 2002.
Sunday’s win marked Hewitt’s first ATP title since Halle, Germany in 2010 and was the 29th of his career.
“It means a lot with the calibre of players here as well in this tournament. It’s not an easy tournament to win,” Hewitt said after the throwback win.
“I wasn’t one of the top four seeds, so I had to win all five matches to get through. There are pleasing parts and massive positives to take out of it.”
While youngster Bernard Tomic’s stock appears to be back on the rise after a solid effort at last week’s Hopman Cup in Perth, former legend Pat Cash believes Hewitt’s success is somewhat sad for Australian tennis.
“It’s really inspiring to see that Lleyton is 32 and is playing so well,” Cash said in Adelaide on Monday.
“But in some ways, it’s slightly disappointing that he is still the top Australian.
“That is not taking anything away from Lleyton, he is a great player. But you would hope to have some other guys in the top 10, 20.
“It’s inspiring but a little strange to see that Lleyton is still our top-ranked player.”
Serena Williams took home honours in straight sets against Victoria Azarenka, winning 6-4, 7-5 in 98 minutes of action.
With the two potentially facing off again in the coming month as the Australia Open kicks off, Williams solidified her dominance over the world No.2 by winning her 14th contest against the Belarusian from 17 attempts.
Photo: Chris Hyde, Getty Images
