Newport, USA, 29 October 2020 | tennis.com.au

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt has received the most fan votes in the International Tennis Hall of Fame class of 2021 ballot.

“Being nominated for the Hall of Fame is such a huge honour for me already, and to experience this incredible support from the fans while going through the Hall of Fame process just makes it even more special,” Hewitt said.

“There are four additional great candidates with me on the ballot for the Hall of Fame, and I’m really honoured and appreciative of all the support I’ve received from tennis fans in Australia and around the world.”

American Lisa Raymond finished second in the fan voting, with Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman in third place. Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero and Sergi Bruguera received the least votes.

For winning the fan vote, Hewitt receives three bonus percentage points to boost his chances of induction into the coveted International Tennis Hall of Fame.

To be inducted, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote in 75 per cent or higher of ballots submitted from an official voting group comprised of tennis media and experts. With his three bonus percentage points from the fan vote, Hewitt now needs only 72 per cent to qualify for induction.

The class of 2021 inductees will be announced early next year.