Lleyton Hewitt may just continue playing tennis until the end of time.
Continuing to defy those calling for his retirement, the 31-year-old (well and truly in his twilight in tennis player years) former world number one is enjoying having yet another crack at the US Open, the home of his first ever Grand Slam win more than a decade ago.
Hewitt, one of Australia’s favourite bogans, has reached the fourth round of the US Open for the first time since 2006, beating Russian Evgeny Donskoy 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-1 in a three-hour showdown at Flushing Meadows. His win over Donskoy came after he beat sixth seed Spaniard Juan Martin del Potro in five sets in the second round.
Calls for Hewitt to hang up the racquet and backwards cap intensified after he was sidelined due to toe surgery last year, but it appears the player has been invigorated by his surroundings. “It’s always great to come back to New York where it all started for me – I won the doubles in 2000 and the singles in 2001. I have played some of my best tennis here.“
Via smh.com.au. Image by Matthew Stockman for Getty Images
