Lleyton Hewitt receives Queen’s Wildcard; to pair up with Nick Kyrgios
Lleyton Hewitt has received a wildcard from the Queen’s Championship and comes out of retirement again as he pairs up with compatriot Nick Kyrgios.
Hewitt can’t seem to catch a break from tennis as he follows in the eerie footsteps of Tommy Haas in having several last hoorahs as he never bids goodbye to the sport he loves.
The 37-year-old Australian had paired up with Sam Groth in this year’s Australian Open as Groth retired from professional tennis. His last match was in the Estoril Open, where he teamed up with Alex De Minaur in the doubles and lost in the quarterfinals.
When asked, Hewitt said:
“The Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club will always have a special place in my heart. The memories I have of beating Pete Sampras in the final when I was a teenager are as vivid now as they’ve ever been.
The grass is always perfect, they look after the players, and it’s just a really special tournament to me, and I think to everyone that’s played there. I still love to compete, I can still play a bit, and to be given the chance to get out there with another Aussie is something I’m really looking forward to.”
This will be the veteran’s 17th appearance in the tournament. He has lifted the trophy on four different occasions, with his last trophy coming in 2006 against James Blake. The tournament, in a statement, said:
“We know that our ticket-holders are going to love the chance to see Lleyton and Nick playing doubles together for the first time in Britain. Lleyton is one of our all-time greats, and we can’t wait to see him back at The Queen’s Club again.”
Hewitt will also play in the grass tournament in Surbiton with Alex Bolt the week before his Queen’s main draw appearance.