Speed is one of the most important attributes in tennis, as the quickest players on tour often pick up the sport’s biggest trophies.
Four-time Major champion Carlos Alcaraz has gained notoriety over recent years, thanks to his incredible speed and athleticism.
Reaching shots many of his ATP Tour rivals couldn’t dream of, the Spaniard has developed into one of the game’s most dangerous players.
He does have some competition, however, as Australia’s Alex de Minaur is another known for his athletic ability.
The pair faced off as the number one and number three seeds at last month’s Rotterdam Open, in a breath-taking affair.
In three sets, Alcaraz beat De Minaur, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, perhaps staking his claim as the top athlete on tour.
There have been several ‘quick’ ATP players over the years, as one American legend named the fastest he’d ever seen back in 2002.
John McEnroe said Lleyton Hewitt was perhaps the ‘fastest guy he’d ever seen’ in 2002
In August 2002, Lleyton Hewitt was on top of the tennis world, having just won his second Major title at Wimbledon, taking down David Nalbandian in the final.
| Match | Opponent | Score |
| F | David Nalbandian [28] | 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 |
| SF | Tim Henman [4] | 7-5, 6-1, 7-5 |
| QF | Sjeng Schalken [18] | 6-2, 6-2, 6-7, 1-6, 7-5 |
| 4R | Mikhail Youzhny | 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 |
| 3R | Julian Knowle | 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 |
| 2R | Gregory Carraz | 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 |
| 1R | Jonas Bjorkman | 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 |
With his win at SW19, Hewitt extended his gap out in front as world number one and looked ahead to the US Open where he was the defending champion.
Before the tournament, legendary American star John McEnroe was asked what impressed him the most about Hewitt.
“Just the speed and his intensity, the effort level is so high,” he said.
“He’s the fastest guy I’ve perhaps ever seen, I’m not even sure [Bjorn] Borg was faster than him.
“He covers so much ground, he plays with such, his energy level is so high that it intimidates people.
“He’s not a real big guy, it’s very intimidating to deal with that type of speed.
“It makes up for the lack of power that he has, that some of the other players have.”
Six-time Major champion Boris Becker then gave his thoughts, as he explained what Hewitt did that he found ‘amazing.’
“For a young guy, his mental attitude is amazing, he’s so serious,” he said.
“He knows when the big points are coming, he knows when they’re points he can let loose a little bit.
“He really knows when to push it and when to play hard.”
What happened to Lleyton Hewitt after winning Wimbledon in 2002?
Having received praise from two of the sport’s greatest-ever players, entering the tournament as the number one seed, and defending champion, pressure was firmly on Hewitt’s shoulders in New York, 23 years ago.
He looked to have the pressure under control during the early rounds, as the Aussie advanced to the semis, for the third year running.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| QF | Younes El Aynaoui [20] | 6-1, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 |
| 4R | Jiri Novak [14] | 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 |
| 3R | James Blake [25] | 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2R | Noam Okun | 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| 1R | Nicolas Coutelot | 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 |
In the semi-finals, Hewitt took on Andre Agassi, a former two-time champion at Flushing Meadows.
Hewitt’s title dreams looked to be over after the first two sets, as the home favorite stormed into a 6-4, 7-6 lead on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Surviving in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-6, [7-1], the Australian lived on, as the tie proceeded into a fourth set.
It was there that his 12-match unbeaten run at the US Open came to an end, as Agassi clinched the fourth, 6-2, sending the number one seed home.
It was at home just a few months later that Hewitt looked to bounce back, entering the Australian Open as one of the pre-tournament favorites.
He had fallen at the first hurdle in Melbourne one year earlier, losing to Spain’s Alberto Martin in the first round, but was confident of a better performance in 2003.
Reaching the fourth round with wins over Magnus Larsson, Todd Larkham, and Radek Stepanek, Hewitt faced off against Morocco’s Younes El Aynaoui, the man he had beaten in New York the previous year.
He was unable to repeat the feat, however, as the Moroccan star battled back from a set down, knocking Hewitt out of his home tournament, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.
In April of that year, Hewitt surrendered the number-one ranking to Agassi, as his stint at the top of men’s tennis came to an end.
The emergence of young stars Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, and Marat Safin brought his brief spell of dominance to a close, as Hewitt failed to win another Major title.
His speed had been so effective in winning the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon titles, but the big-serving and hitting of the sport’s next generation of stars proved too tough a challenge for Hewitt to overcome.
He did return to two Grand Slam finals, coming up short on both occasions, as he eventually retired in 2016 as a two-time Major champion.
- 2004 US Open F – Lost to Roger Federer, 0-6, 6-7, 0-6
- 2005 Australian Open F – Lost to Marat Safin, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6
Hewitt remains the most recent Australian male to win a Major title as his speed and athleticism led him to two memorable Grand Slam victories.
