Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt has given into temptation by taking a wildcard for an upcoming ATP 250 event in Estoril, Portugal.
Hewitt, who officially retired in 2016, is set to play in the doubles draw at next week’s Estoril Open. He will team up with rising star Alex De Minaur, who is 18 years his junior. De Minaur is ranked 114th in the world in singles and reached back-to-back semifinals on the ATP World Tour earlier this year.
“We have a wild card, we have the ex-world-number-one Lleyton Hewitt … Who will break from ‘retirement’ to play at the Millennium Estoril Open alongside countryman Alex de Minaur,” tournament organisers tweeted.
It is not the first time the 37-year-old has come out of retirement. Since stepping away two years ago, he has appeared in one Davis Cup tie and three tour events. Playing doubles in all of them. His last appearance was at the Australian Open in January alongside Sam Groth. The pair reached the quarter-finals in what was Hewitt’s best doubles performance at a grand slam since winning the 2000 US Open with Max Mirnyi.
Despite his return, it is unlikely that Hewitt will be doing it on a more permanent basis. He is currently the captain of the Australian Davis Cup team. Hewitt also plays a key role for Tennis Australia in interacting and mentoring the nation’s rising stars. It is understood that he was one of the figures Nick Kyrgios consulted with about his current injury problems.
During his career, Hewitt won 30 ATP titles, including two grand slams. At the age of 20 he became the youngest player in the Open Era to top the ATP rankings. In total, he held the No.1 ranking for 80 weeks. In the Davis Cup, Hewitt is his country’s most successful player ever in the competition. Winning 58 out of 79 matches played in 42 ties.
The Estoril Open will get underway on Monday.
Temos wild card, temos ex-número 1 mundial! Lleyton Hewitt, que no currículo conta com 2 títulos em torneios do Grand Slam e a chegada a número 1 do mundo, vai interromper a 'reforma' para jogar pares no Millennium #EstorilOpen ao lado do compatriota Alex de Minaur. pic.twitter.com/yL2CyxZ8xc
— Millennium #EstorilOpen (@EstorilOpen) April 25, 2018
