Lleyton Hewitt, the youngest ever world number one, was voted player of the year by his fellow professionals, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said on Saturday. The 20-year-old Australian, who won his first grand slam title at the 2001 U.S. Open, capped a fantastic season by winning the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney to knock Gustavo Kuerten off the top of the world rankings.
Hewitt, who won six tournaments in 2001, became the first Australian in ATP rankings history to end the year as number one. Goran Ivanisevic, ranked 129th at the end of 2000, was voted most improved player after his unexpected Wimbledon victory rocketed the Croatian to world number 16.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
