New Delhi: Lleyton Hewitt on Thursday brought curtains down on his tennis career in front of his home fans at the Australian Open.
Spanish eighth seed David Ferrer beat Hewitt 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena to end one of Australian tennis' most illustrious careers.
"I gave everything I had, like always, and left nothing in the locker room and that`s something I can always be proud of," Hewitt told the crowd. "In my whole career I`ve given 100 percent and I love coming out here and competing."
As 34-year-old ended his 17-year pro career, some of his colleagues had a special message for Hewitt.
In a video posted on Twitter by the official Australian Open handle, superstars of modern day tennis like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray paid a tribute to one of the game's greatest war horses.
FAREWELL @rogerfederer, @RafaelNadal, @andy_murray and @NickKyrgios pay tribute to @lleytonhewitt... #HewBeauty https://t.co/btHVD73MEu
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2016
