Lleyton Hewitt Takes Fans Back to the Old Days

It's no secret that I'm an unapologetic Lleyton Hewitt fan. I've written more about him than almost anyone else in this space and that's odd considering that he has been ranked over or near 100 since I started this blog.

The thing about it is that I used to truly dislike him. I didn't like how he yelled and ranted and I really didn't like how he antagonized so many of his opponents, seemingly just for the sake of antagonizing them.

But over the last couple of years, my feelings about Hewitt have changed completely. For starters, he seems to have cooled down as he has gotten older. That has made being a fan of his easier, to be sure, but I have also learned to appreciate him for what he is in his older age.

The scrappy, fiery demeanor that used to get under my skin when he was at the top of the sport is now what I like most about him. I also love that on occasion, for much shorter periods of time now, Hewitt will show you a flash of the brilliance that took him to number one in the world.

In his opening round match at Wimbledon, against 11th-ranked Stan Wawrinka, Hewitt was at his gutsiest and gave us more than just a flash of brilliance.

The Aussie didn't just hang with Wawrinka. For that matter, he didn't just beat him either. Hewitt routed him 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

Against players the caliber of Wawrinka, Hewitt is nearly always going to be the underdog these days, but you have to love his attitude about it.

After his win, Hewitt said "He's a quality player, but going out there I didn't feel like a total underdog."

Shortly after, Hewitt answered critics that may have been calling for his retirement after all of his injuries and his drop in the rankings over the last few years.

"People ask when you're retiring but why would you retire with an atmosphere like that?" he said.

Those two quotes so perfectly encompass what I love about Hewitt. He never goes on court expecting to lose and he is going to continue to play the game until he physically can't anymore.

Until that day comes, I'll be firmly behind him.