Lleyton Hewitt To Coach Young Players After Retirement
Two-time grand slam champion Lleyton Hewitt knows how to plan his life after he calls time on his playing career. Hewitt, a former World No. 1, has said that he wants to help young aspiring tennis players when he retires from the sport.
Speaking after his first-round defeat to South African Kevin Anderson 6-7 7-5 6-2 at the 2015 Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club in London, Hewitt hinted about his desire to become a sports coach when he retires. He pointed out that he doesn’t necessarily want to leave the sporting world of tennis for good.
“I’ll be helping out Australian tennis in some way,” Hewitt said after his match via The Guardian. “I have tried to help out Bernie Tomic the last couple of years, and I have a good relationship with Nick Kyrgios and know Thanasi really well (we are playing doubles here and at Wimbledon), I feel like I have a really good connection with those guys.”
Hewitt is set to partner with up-and-coming Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis for the doubles event at Queen’s. They will play against fourth-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the first round.
After his campaign at Queen’s, Hewitt is going to compete in the grand slam tournament at All England Club in SW19, Wimbledon. It is not certain if Hewitt will play at Flushing Meadows for the US Open. He reportedly said that his main focus after the Wimbledon is to represent Australia for its tie against France or Great Britain at the 2015 Davis Cup.
The 34-year-old will play his last tournament at the Australian Open in 2015. Hewitt’s best result at the Australian Open was a final appearance in 2005.
Hewitt dropped five places down to 117th in the latest world rankings of the Association of Tennis Professionals. He achieved his career-high singles rank as World No. 1 on Nov. 19, 2001, making him the youngest player to ever hold the spot at 20 years old. He won 30 titles since he turned professional in 1998 including four Aegon Championships title, which he won in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2006.
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