Lleyton Hewitt reached four Grand Slam finals during his hugely impressive career, the first of which arrived in 2001.
Hewitt won Wimbledon in 2002, but that success came after another victorious run at the 2001 US Open.
The Australian defeated David Nalbandian in the final at the All England Club, having overcome Pete Sampras at Flushing Meadows.
And along with basking in his success in New York in the immediate aftermath, Hewitt did have plenty of kind words for his opponent that day.
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When asked if he was delighted with his display in the 7-6(7-4), 6-1, 6-1 win over the home favorite, Hewitt replied: “Yeah. It hasn’t sunk in yet.
“You know, walking out there to play Pete Sampras in your first-ever Grand Slam final, it’s something that you’ll never forget, that’s for sure.
“Obviously, I had a few nerves coming in there playing possibly the greatest player ever to live in probably my biggest ever match in tennis.
“I got off to a pretty good start, then got broken straight back. You know, just sort of settled the nerves. That was pretty good.”
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Hewitt’s praise of his ATP rival Sampras certainly didn’t end there, with the American getting plenty of recognition despite the Australian coming out on top.
Asked if he was nervous the night before, the winner said: “Yeah, I was nervous. You’re not human if you’re not going to be nervous going into your first Grand Slam final, but I’m sure any Grand Slam final you’ll be nervous.
“It was very hard to sort of eat too much, as well. I didn’t really feel like eating this morning or even having a bit of lunch and stuff today.
“It was probably the fact that you have to play Pete Sampras in your first Grand Slam final as well. There would be a lot of easier guys to play. He’s a big match player.”
And when asked if the aura of Sampras had changed after back-to-back US Open final losses, Hewitt said: “Not at all. You know, he’s a great champion.
“I think when everyone was starting to write him off, especially after he lost in the Round of 16 to [Roger] Federer at Wimbledon, I think he’s come out and proved a point over the last two weeks.
“He’s capable of winning Grand Slams still, that’s for sure. I’ve still got as much respect for him as a player, on and off the court as I’ve ever had.”
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Indeed, Sampras fell to Marat Safin in the final the year before, although he did manage to bounce back in the 2002 final.
He defeated his old nemesis Andre Agassi for his fifth title at the event, and fittingly his 14th and final Grand Slam title.
It was a Hewitt prediction from 2001 that came true, with the Australian having very wisely not ruled out his fellow professional from future success.
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