Lleyton Hewitt

Lleyton Hewitt

Every winner came with a "C'mon". Lleyton Hewitt was the great counterpuncher of his era, all legs and passing shots. Adelaide announced him in January 1998, a 16-year-old wild card ranked No. 550, the lowest-ranked champion in tour history, beating Andre Agassi. His 2 majors came quickly: the 2001 US Open, a 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-1 dismantling of Pete Sampras, then Wimbledon 2002 over David Nalbandian, conceding six games. In November 2001, at 20 years and 8 months, he became the youngest world No. 1, a mark that stood until Carlos Alcaraz.

He spent 80 weeks at the top, the year-end No. 1 in 2001 and 2002. Then the power game caught up: Roger Federer took the 2004 US Open final, Marat Safin the 2005 Australian Open final, and hip surgeries made the last decade a fight for fitness. He bowed out at the 2016 Australian Open with 31 career titles, a Davis Cup champion in 1999 and 2003 and Australia's captain since 2016, still shouting "C'mon" from the bench.