Lleyton Hewitt Spills The Secrets To Success

Lleyton Hewitt. Photo: Getty Images.

It’s no surprise Lleyton Hewitt played a torrid game of Aussie Rules as a boy, or absorbed its tenets into his bloodstream. “In footy, you don’t show you’re hurt out there,” says Hewitt, who’s talking en route to a tribute at the World Tour Finals in London. “And that attitude comes through in my tennis.”

The kid who overdosed on the Rocky movies grew up to become the Rocky of his sport. In Rocky IV, the bloodied hero won over the Russian crowd with his pluck, telling them afterwards: “During this fight I seen a lot of changin’ – the way youse felt about me, and the way I felt about you.”

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Same with Hewitt and the rest of the world. At first too fevered and scary-intense to take a shine to, he’s mellowed just enough to become an inspiration to any guy who’s ever felt that life’s just too freaking hard.
Hewitt never gave an inch to any mortal opponent, but is surrendering to Father Time. While his mind’s as steely as ever, his body’s succumbed to the grind that is life on the tour.

“Lleyton’s a warrior who’s used every ounce of his skill and grit to battle every day as if it were his last,” says former No.1 Jim Courier. Roger Federer has admitted the young Hewitt bewildered him: “How can you be so tough, physically and mentally, at such a young age? It was, for me, an impossible thing to understand.”

As Hewitt sees it, he’s merely worked his strengths. “I pride myself on getting the most out of myself,” he says. To succeed, get your head in the game. “It’s those one-percenters. It can be in the locker room, being the ultimate professional in how you prepare.”

If you’re not the most gifted dog in the fight, he says, be the fittest. Or the snarliest. If it were flair that counted most, the Frenchman Gaël Monfils would rule tennis. “Determination, that never-say-die attitude...if you’ve got a bit of talent and you turn yourself into an absolute animal on court, fitness wise,” says Hewitt, “then you’ll win matches purely because of that.”

When you’re getting your arse kicked and your opponent’s rolling, focus on the small picture, he says. Three more hours under a blazing sun to right this train wreck? Too daunting. “That’s when you drop your head,” Hewitt explains. “It’s about small goals. Chunk it up.”

Make him sweat more. Ask different questions. “And draw on the hard work you do on the practice court, in the gym or running around ovals,” says Hewitt. “If you know you can go the distance physically, then you can focus on tactics.”

Hewitt’s mighty competitive itch isn’t about to disappear just because he’s shelving his Yonex. He can scratch that itch as Australia’s new Davis Cup captain, by infiltrating the heads of the next generation and getting them to think and compete as he does. Exciting thought: Nick Kyrgios’s big-man game complemented by Hewitt-like smarts and mental strength. Possible? Well, Hewitt’s got his work cut out.

Arthritis is a newish companion, but no matter. He’ll stretch and do yoga, and he’ll probably play some exhibitions and seniors events before too long. He’s an ambassador for Swisse, which makes various joint-health formulations that might help to keep him swinging (and floor punching) into his dotage.

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But enough prognosticating already! He has one last Grand Slam tournament to pour his soul into. “I’m a born competitor,” says Hewitt, who’s training “as hard as ever” to give himself the best chance of finishing in style. “If you do that, you have no regrets. Lay it all on the line and see how far you can go.”

HEWITT BY NUMBERS
AGE
34

HEIGHT
180CM

WEIGHT
77KG

TURNED PRO
1998

CAREER TITLES
30

MAJOR WINS
2

AGE WHEN HE BECAME THE YOUNGEST-EVER WORLD NO.1
20

WEEKS AS NO.1
80

DAVIS CUP MATCH WINS (MOST BY AN AUSTRALIAN)
54

AVERAGE “C’MONS!” IN A FIVE-SETTER
7

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