Former world no 1 Lleyton Hewitt to make comeback in Australian Open

Lleyton Hewitt is the last Australian male to have won a Grand Slam title. (Source: File)

Former world no 1 Lleyton Hewitt said that he will play in next year’s Australian Open. Hewitt, who had retired from the sport after Wimbledon 2016, would be partnering compatriot Sam Groth, who himself declared that this would be his final tournament. Hewitt re-emerged from retirement in Davis Cup last year against the US, playing alongside Jordan Thompson and almost upsetting the Bob and Mike Bryan in an epic five-setter.

The former world No.1 said, “It’s going to be a bit of fun – that’s what the Australian Open is about. I’m going to really enjoy it. We’ve been hitting a lot of balls, hitting every day, and we’re not just going out there making up the numbers. We want to give it a fair crack.”

Hewitt is the last Australian male to have won a Grand Slam title. He won the Wimbledon in 2002 and the US Open in 2001. He played in consecutive Australian Open tournaments between 1997 and 2016 and has reached the final in 2005. In march 2016, Hewitt came out of retirement to replace the injured Nick Kyrgios for the Australian team in a Davis Cup tie with the USA.