Hewitt granted Wimbledon doubles wildcard

Lleyton Hewitt will make a return to Wimbledon this year after accepting a doubles wild card six months after retiring following the Australian Open.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt

Lleyton Hewitt will make a return to Wimbledon this year after accepting a doubles wild card. (AAP)

Lleyton Hewitt's tennis farewell tour has made a belated addition - a goodbye to the Wimbledon crowd six months after retiring.

Hewitt on Saturday accepted a main draw doubles wild card at the All England Club where he will team up with rising Australian star Jordan Thompson later this month.

Wimbledon holds special memories for Hewitt, who won his second grand slam title at the historic venue in 2002.

Hewitt was thought to have played his last match of competitive tennis in January when he retired after exiting the Australian Open with a second round loss to Spain's David Ferrer.

But much like fellow Australian legend John Farnham - the musician who regularly came out of retirement to tour "for the last time" - Hewitt isn't quite ready to extinguish the flame just yet.

The 35-year-old Davis Cup captain first came out of retirement to play doubles with John Peers in Australia's World Group showdown with the United States in Melbourne in March.

He flirted with the idea of playing one of the singles' rubbers in that Davis Cup tie as well - but a grand slam return was unexpected.

In his role as Davis Cup captain, Hewitt would've been present at Wimbledon to support and mentor the male contingent which will include Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, John Millman and Jordan Thompson.

He will also be involved in a commentary capacity for the BBC.

Thompson has previously spoken of his admiration of Hewitt, who was courtside at the French Open when the 22-year-old won his first grand slam match.

"Having Lleyton Hewitt, one of my tennis heroes, on the sidelines was unbelievable," Thompson said.

Meanwhile, the tennis comeback of Ashleigh Barty will roll on into Wimbledon after the 20-year-old was granted a main draw doubles wild card alongside local favourite Laura Robson as well as a qualifying singles wild card earlier this week.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world