There would be no fairytale finish for Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon. But at least, having vowed to “leave it all out there” in his final All England Club campaign, there would be much of his trademark fight.
“I didn’t leave any stone unturned preparing,” said Hewitt after Jarkko Nieminen ended the Australian’s 17th tilt at the Championships with a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 11-9 win that took four hours to complete.
“But also on the match court today. You know, there were a couple of times the match could have gotten away from me at certain stages and I found a way of hanging in there ... but yeah, Jarkko is a tough competitor and it was never going to be easy.”
It was never going to be straightforward either, the battle between two veterans (Hewitt is 34 years old, while Nieminen is 33) intensified by the awareness that each player was making their final competitive appearance at Wimbledon.
It seemed fitting, then, that it would be such a see-sawing encounter on No.2 Court, a winner impossible to predict throughout. Even after a puzzling fourth set in which Hewitt uncharacteristically claimed just four points – perhaps explained when he was treated for leg and foot problems afterwards – momentum never truly belonged with either man.
The pulsating fifth set best characterised both players’ will to win; spanning 95 minutes, it also included seven breaks of serve, Nieminen eventually gaining the advantage as he secured the final one in the 20th game.
For Hewitt, though, there were also three match points saved in the 10th game, extending a glorious career that saw him crowned Wimbledon champion in 2002 and gaining countless supporters as he played his heart out in 16 other campaigns.
And thus, Hewitt had no regrets, or even tears, as he absorbed his final defeat to Nieminen, knowing that the 11-9 fifth set loss symbolised the competitive spirit that became a trademark.
“That pretty much sums up my career,” he said. “I guess my mentality, going out there and, you know, (having a) never-say-die attitude. I’ve lived that the 18, 19 years I’ve been on tour.”
Hewitt is delighted to have demonstrated that spirit to other young Australians, with the former world No.1 often an unofficial advisor to the likes of Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis and others.
“It's more behind the scenes, on the practice court, in the gym that will pay off down the line,” he said. “A lot of these kids that are coming up, the Australians especially, have a lot more firepower than I had. But I had to work on other areas of my game, being mentally tough, different strengths, to get the most out of myself.”
Having achieved so much in his storied career, Hewitt is looking forward to a stage of his life that’s considerably less demanding. “It's obviously such a physical sport out there. You have to try and play week in and week out to get the best out of yourself and to be able to beat the best players at the big tournaments,” he explained of his impending retirement.
“My focus has switched. I prefer to spend a lot more time with my kids. A lot of the smaller tournaments, I don't have the same motivation for. So then it's pretty easy to make that decision.”
With his tennis-loving son Cruz among his many vocal supporters at Wimbledon, leaving the game is undoubtedly made easier for Hewitt with an awareness of the history he’s created in it.
The Australian absorbed some of that history as he took time to sit quietly on Centre Court yesterday. “I’ve always loved the tradition of the game. I've never hidden that. That's something that I love being around,” he said.
“I'm fortunate that the Australian greats, we have so many with that tradition and history of the sport, especially here at Wimbledon. I love nothing more than catching up with the old guys and having a chat with them about certain stuff. I think it's great.”
And even after such a bittersweet final match at the All England Club, there was a more pleasing recollection for one of the most famous fighters in tennis. “It's hard to beat winning, obviously. You work your whole life to have an opportunity to play on the final Sunday here in Wimbledon, to have a chance of holding up that trophy.
"And so, yeah, nothing can really compare to that in tennis."