How Lleyton Hewitt went from upstart to the Godfather of Australian tennis: Facing his 50th Australian Open match, young guns Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis were in nappies when he played his first 

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The most shocking statistic in Lleyton Hewitt's long and distinguished career is that he is only 33 years old, because it's like he's been around forever.

At just 15 years of age, Hewitt was the youngest qualifier in the history of the Australian Open in 1997. But as he prepares for his 50th match at the tournament, there are no shortage of young Australian players looking to take his place.

18 years ago his opponent was the world number 64 player Sergi Bruguera of Spain who beat the Australian in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. Bruguera has been retired for 13 years now and is currently the coach of France’s Richard Gasquet.

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Australia's Lleyton Hewitt plays a backhand return during the Australian Open in 1998. It was only his second appearance in the tournament

A teenage Hewitt takes time out at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida, in 1998

Surfer dude: Hewitt goes for a run on the beach in Florida in 1998

For most of his career Hewitt would make this sign after winning an important point during a match

Reflecting back on his debut, Hewitt said: ‘I wouldn’t have dreamt of that as my first one in ’97 as a 15-year-old, that’s for sure. I didn’t think I’d be playing anywhere near 30.’

Well he is. And after beating China’s Zhang Ze in the first round he‘ll now face Germany’s Benjamin Becker in the second round on Thursday. 

Just for some more context Hewitt is one of the last remaining players on tour to have played against Benjamin’s namesake Boris Becker. Hewitt was beaten in straight sets by Boris at Wimbledon in 1999.

Today’s Australian stars are babes in the wood in comparison. But this year fellow Australians Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic, Sam Groth and James Duckworth all made it into the second round as well.

A young Thanasi Kokkinakis can only dream of playing in the Australian Open at this age

Nick Kyrgios (left) shows that cheeky grin as a kid that he shows his opponents on court today

Kokkinakis was just nine months old when Hewitt played his first Australian Open match on January 13, 1997. Kyrgios was 21 months old, while Tomic was nearly five. Now that he's in the twilight of his career Hewitt knows it's time for them to step up.

‘I think for the most part those three guys - obviously Tomic, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis - they have big futures,’ he told Fox Sports.

‘All three guys like playing on the big stage, which is really important.

‘I’ve seen that in Davis Cup now. It doesn’t get much more pressure than playing Davis Cup, where you’re playing for your country and your team mates as well as yourself.

‘It hasn’t really surprised me the last couple of days. It’s great for Australian tennis... It’s starting to get back like the good old days.' 

A 16-year-old Hewitt celebrates winning a point at the 1998 Australian Open

Hewitt poses with the men's final winner Marat Safin of Russia after finishing runner-up in the 2005 Australian Open final

One of Hewitt's signature celebrations after getting one over his opponent

Hewitt hugs Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus after the Australian won in the fifth set in the third round of the Australian Open in 2008

Fox Sports reported that since 1997 Hewitt has faced off against opponents from 23 countries at the Australian Open.

In 1997 the Rod Laver Arena was still three years away from being renamed, while Hisense and Margaret Court Arenas didn’t even exist in their current form.

The nearest he got to winning the competition was in 2005 when he was beaten by Russia’s Marat Safin 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the final. 

Since Hewitt made his Australian Open debut in 1997, the first iPhone was more than ten years away from going on sale, while Facebook and Twitter were not invented for another seven and nine years respectively.

Hewitt's famed on-court ferocity is in contrast to his quiet demeanour off it however. But this did not stop him becoming one of Australia's most famous celebrity couples. 

In 2005 he tied the knot with Rebecca Cartwright who was famous for playing Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera Home and Away.

Perfect couple: Hewitt and Rebecca 'Bec' Hewitt attend the Swisse marquee on Stakes Day at Flemington Racecourse in 2012. They married in 2005.

Australian golfing great Greg Norman (background) celebrates with Hewitt's wife Bec during the 2005 Australian Open final against Marat Safin

Hewitt  chills out with his children Ava, Cruz, and Mia after winning his match against Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina in the AAMI Classic at Kooyong in 2013

They relocated to the island of Nassau in February 2009 after purchasing a $3.8 million villa in the Old Fort Bay estate. The couple has three children together - Mila, eight, Cruz, five, and Ava, three - and now see their Caribbean haven as home, despite still owning some property in Australia.

He is a devout Adelaide Crows fan and his sporting hero is Tyson Edwards of the Crows.

The Tennis Australia website said that his good friends are golfers Greg Norman and Aaron Baddeley, and he even caddied for Greg Norman at Australian PGA event.

Bec Hewitt looks on as her husband plays against Ze Zhang of China in the first round of the 2015 Australian Open In Melbourne on Tuesday night

The 33-year-old celebrates in familiar style after winning a point against Ze in their first round match on Tuesday night

The website also stated that Hewitt’s favourite band was Cold Chisel, so maybe he had an old head on young shoulders all along. 

But after beating China’s Zhang in the first round in Melbourne he told Channel 7 interviewer Jim Courier he still had no plans on retiring and taking a seat in the commentary box.

Despite the Aussie young guns lining up to replace him, no one would bet against Hewitt making a 20th appearance at the Australian Open next year. 

Never a lost cause: In his heyday Hewitt was one of the game's most tenacious battlers