Lleyton Hewitt Retires Following Australian Open Loss; Slams Match-Fixing Accusations

Today, a nation mournfully turns its caps backward in honour of Lleyton Hewitt.

The Aussie tennis champ’s professional singles career has come to an end, following a defeat at the hands of David Ferrer in the second round of the Australian Open last night.

Spaniard Ferrer bested Hewitt in straight sets, requiring two hours and 32 minutes to conclude Hewitt’s run at 20 consecutive Australian Opens.

It was at the 1997 Australian Open that Hewitt, then 15, first qualified for the main competition.

In a courtside interview, Hewitt mused about his lengthy career and relationship with the Australian Open.

"I've given 100%" Lleyton Hewitt gives his last on-court interview #ausopen https://t.co/dGWr0cTFwR

— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2016

"It is always like a second home for me at Rod Laver Arena. I am fortunate to keep having this opportunity 20 years in a row,” he said.

The match was followed by a farewell video in which Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios paid tribute to Hewitt’s career.

FAREWELL @rogerfederer, @RafaelNadal, @andy_murray and @NickKyrgios pay tribute to @lleytonhewitt... #HewBeauty https://t.co/btHVD73MEu

— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2016

Hewitt’s career has been punctuated by stunning achievements, including a stint as the world’s number one, and some notorious arguments with umps on the court.

His final match included one of those too. During the third set, Hewitt called the chair umpire Pascal Maria a “f***ing cheat” following several fault calls in Ferrer’s favour.

A recent Buzzfeed/BBC exposé that suggested 15 unnamed players were involved in match-fixing (based on unusual betting patterns surrounding particular matches) had cast a pall over the Australian Open.

Hewitt, who was later named as one of the 15 on a website claiming to identify the players, has denied any involvement in match-fixing and called the list “an absolute farce.” (A statistics website as esteemed as FiveThirtyEight also doubts the veracity of Buzzfeed and the BBC’s conclusions.)

Despite a temper as iconic as his backwards cap, Hewitt will be best remembered for his success on the world stage, including 30 career singles titles.

Hewitt remains in the men’s doubles tournament with Sam Groth at the Australian Open and is set to take on the role of Australia’s Davis Cup captain.