Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt took the court at the Australian Open Thursday evening (Wednesday morning in the U.S.) knowing they might be facing one another for the last time.
The two stars, former world number-ones now in the late stages of their careers, met in Rod Laver Arena to represent their nations and to finish off a decade-long rivalry.
Both have battled injury and age; neither is quite ready to retire. While the 29-year-old American Roddick has been trying to fight his way back into the top ten, Australia’s Hewitt, 30, has seen his ranking plummet, and many speculate he will be leaving the sport at the end of this season.
Roddick won their last six matches; Hewitt, on home turf, had one more chance to show his fans that he had the talent and the toughness to beat the big-serving American.
