Few men personified the Australian spirit better than Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter.
Gladiatorial determination, showmanship and resilience were on display every time the former world No.1s stepped onto a tennis court – whether it was at a lower-level tournament or on a Grand Slam stage at Rod Laver Arena.
Six-time Australian Open champion Roger Federer will return to Melbourne Park to headline the tournament’s inaugural Opening Ceremony alongside four-time champion Andre Agassi. Australian fans will also welcome back Hewitt and Rafter, rivals from the same era, whose home Slam legacy was defined by the way they carried a nation on their shoulders.
The Australian Open was never Hewitt's or Rafter’s most decorated Grand Slam.
Neither lifted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, yet both carved out memorable chapters in Melbourne. Their deepest runs were shaped by anticipation, scrutiny and the unique weight of playing a home major in front of a nation on tenterhooks.
For Hewitt, that relationship began long before his iconic Australian Open moments. In January 1998, a 16-year-old wildcard from Adelaide stunned the tennis world at the Adelaide International, defeating Agassi in a pair of tiebreak sets before going on to claim his first ATP title. It was a moment that announced Hewitt to the country and one that followed him into Melbourne, where every Australian Open would carry the echo of what might be possible.
Nowhere was that sense of possibility stronger than at the centenary Australian Open in 2005.
Ranked world No.3 and arriving fresh off a title in Sydney, Hewitt surged past James Blake, Juan Ignacio Chela, Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian, stirring genuine belief that Australia might finally crown a men’s champion for the first time since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
His quarterfinal win over Nalbandian, sealed 10–8 in the fifth set, electrified Rod Laver Arena and set up a blockbuster semifinal against world No.2 Andy Roddick. Hewitt prevailed 3-6 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 6-1 – his fifth win in six meetings with the American – which made him the first Australian man into anAustralian Open singles final since Pat Cash in 1988.
Hewitt’s title charge fell at the final hurdle when he lost to Marat Safin in four sets., but the night did not close in disappointment.
The 23-year-old shifted the spotlight away from the scoreboard with a proposal to Home and Away star Bec Cartwright, a moment that reframed the loss and gave the centenary final an unexpected afterglow.
Nearly two decades later, that chapter continues through their son, Cruz Hewitt, who this year was named Male Junior Athlete of the Year at the Australian Tennis Awards, a reminder that Australian Open legacies often stretch well beyond the final point.
Hewitt was not the only Australian whom Agassi in part shaped their Australian Open fate.
On a sweltering, sapping night at Rod Laver Arena in 2001, Melbourne became a test of endurance for Rafter. The world No.15 surged to a two-sets-to-one lead over Agassi in his first Australian Open semifinal, leaving everything on the court in what turned out to be his final match at his home Slam.
Everyone from the stands to those watching at home knew they were witnessing something special – not just for the tennis, but for the drama of an Australian on the cusp of a home final.
With Agassi surging back toward the top of the rankings and Rafter playing his best tennis, the two men went blow for blow until muscle cramps began to set in. Agassi, sensing the shift, forced volleys and pressure where Rafter could no longer respond in the stifling conditions, eventually taking the match 7-5 2-6 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3.
“I was playing very well, I was very happy with the way I was hitting the ball. To fall short because of some physical imbalance, that’s just the frustrating part of it,” a heartbroken Rafter said.
Agassi went on to overwhelm Arnaud Clement in the final for his third Australian Open title.
For Rafter, the disappointment cut deep. A two-time US Open champion, Melbourne Park remained the home Slam he wanted most and the one that ultimately eluded him.
For Hewitt, a dramatic AO story continued in 2008 when he survived a five-set battle against the dynamic Marcos Baghdatis at 4:33am – the latest-finishing match in Melbourne Park history.
He beat a young Nadal in 2004 and 2005, before the Spaniard’s ascension. Federer, though, ended his Australian Open campaigns in 2004 and 2010.
Federer and Hewitt reunite at the AO26 Opening Ceremony as legends, alongside Rafter and Agassi, men whose aura helped define an era in Melbourne.
We can see their legacy in the next generation.
Whether it’s Alex de Minaur fighting with Hewitt’s grit and Rafter’s grace, Carlos Alcaraz carrying Federer’s star power, or Jannik Sinner demoralising opponents the way Agassi did, the ‘show before the show’ invites fans worldwide to celebrate the sport’s enduring legacies.