Lleyton Hewitt played against the very best in men’s tennis during his illustrious career.
The Australian legend made his debut on the ATP Tour in 1998 and won his first Grand Slam shortly after.
Hewitt won the US Open in 2001, defeating American legend Pete Sampras, 7-6, 6-1, 6-1, in the final.
He then doubled his major tally at Wimbledon a year later, overpowering Argentina’s David Nalbandian on Centre Court.
That was the last Grand Slam he won; however, as the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic began to dominate the sport.
During his Hall of Fame induction press conference in 2022, Hewitt named the toughest opponent of his tennis career.
Lleyton Hewitt said beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open was the ‘toughest challenge in tennis’
Accepting his place in the Tennis Hall of Fame, Hewitt was asked who he felt were the toughest opponents of his career.
“I think the toughest challenge in tennis is playing Rafa [Nadal] at the French Open,” he said.
“I think that is the toughest challenge that I’ve ever been part of or ever experienced.”
Hewitt played Nadal four times at Roland Garros, losing on all four occasions, winning just one set.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2006 French Open – 4R | Rafael Nadal | Lleyton Hewitt | 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2007 French Open – 4R | Rafael Nadal | Lleyton Hewitt | 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 |
| 2009 French Open – 3R | Rafael Nadal | Lleyton Hewitt | 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2010 French Open – 3R | Rafael Nadal | Lleyton Hewitt | 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 |
The Australian recognized that there were several other difficult challenges in tennis, but insisted that playing Nadal on clay was the toughest of them all.
“Roger Federer could nearly play the perfect match, I think, on most surfaces, especially grass or hard court,” said Hewitt.
Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer’s H2H on grass/hard
- Lleyton Hewitt (6-16) Roger Federer
“But I think playing Rafa on center court at the French Open, it’s pretty much proved itself with how dominant he’s been at that particular tournament.
“He’s in a different league. There’s certain times where you just felt like you were helpless out there playing against him.”
Hewitt wasn’t alone in his struggles against Nadal on the Parisian clay…
Nadal is the most successful player in the history of the French Open, winning 14 titles and 112 matches.
The Aussie did, however, enjoy success against several other big names on tour, despite losing the head-to-head against Nadal and Federer.
Tim Henman lost nine times to Lleyton Hewitt
Hewitt played ten matches against former British number one Tim Henman, winning nine.
“Tim Henman. I think there’s something about the Aussies playing the POMs, and it’s like an Ashes battle,” he said.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2000 Scottsdale – F | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2000 Stuttgart – 3R | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2001 Queen’s – F | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2002 Indian Wells – F | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2002 Queen’s – F | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2002 Wimbledon – SF | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 7-5, 6-1, 7-5 |
| 2004 Rotterdam Open – SF | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2004 Cincinnati Open – 3R | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2006 Miami Open – 2R | Tim Henman | Lleyton Hewitt | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2006 Queen’s SF | Lleyton Hewitt | Tim Henman | 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 |
“He’s one of my good mates, too, actually. He’s a great guy. We talk a lot about it. I’m very happy I got on the winning end against Henners.
Henman’s sole career win over Hewitt came at the Miami Open in 2006, securing a straight-sets victory.
Hewitt also had the better of another former world number four, Jonas Bjorkman.
“I had a good record against Jonas Bjorkman,” he said.
- Lleyton Hewitt (7-0) Jonas Bjorkman
“First time I played him, I was only 16, 17 years old, I think. 16 actually. He was world number four at the time in Sydney.
Hewitt retired from tennis in 2016 with a 616-262 record, having held the number one ranking for 80 weeks.
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