2002 champ Lleyton Hewitt salutes farewell to Wimbledon

Before the Big Four took power at the All England Club, there was an Australian known for "vicht" saluting and roaring "Come on!" in a backwards cap.

It was 2002. Ranked No. 1, the stars aligned* in Lleyton Hewitt's favor, setting the stage for him to beat David Nalbandian in straight sets and raise the prestigious silver gilt cup.

The victory would be his second Grand Slam crown, and his last.

Thirteen years later, the 34-year-old returned to Wimbledon as a wild card, as the sun sets on what will be 18 years of professional tennis.

And his exit fittingly ended in dramatic fashion.

Opposing was Jarkko Nieminen, another old-timer playing his final grass-court Slam. In four hours of hard-fought tennis, Hewitt was ousted on the first day of play in a five-set marathon 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 11-9.

In the beginning, Hewitt looked strong, an image of his younger self stationed behind the baseline, covering the court from all angles, and even showcasing a couple of dives. Leading after three sets, it looked as though "Rusty" was ready to claim victory.

Then the tides turned.

Hewitt flatlined in the fourth. His service game was nowhere to be found as he forfeited all of his first serves. On the other side, Nieminen was in complete control. By the end of the set, the Finn would win all of his first serves and 60 percent of his second serves, and claim 10 winners to Hewitt's two. When the bagel was officially dished, breaths were drawn and held.

In the decider, neither player fanned on a point, exchanging breaks and holds, never allowing a lead more than a game. At 5-4, they would begin a streak of 11 straight holds - including Hewitt saving three match points - until Nieminen finally broke and seized the match.

Hewitt graciously took to the center of the court in defeat, and gave a final "vicht" salute as the crowd - and Nieminen - stood in ovation.

When the dust settled, he lamented on his Wimbledon swansong:

The crowd and everything, it was fantastic. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Even yesterday I just went and sat in the stands of Centre Court; just soaked it up and listened to music in there.

I've always loved the tradition of the game. I've never hidden that. That's something that I love being around. For me, it's the home of tennis. I don't get the same feeling walking into any other grounds in the world.

Following a first-round exit from this year's Australian Open, Hewitt announced his plan to retire in 2016 after his 20th consecutive appearance at the Melbourne major, allowing him to save his last trademark celly for the home crowd.

Wimbledon marked the baseline warrior's first official Slam of his farewell tour, having skipped Roland Garros to ready for the grass-court season. His next majors stop will be the U.S. Open, where he claimed his first Grand Slam singles crown (2001) and his only Grand Slam doubles crown (2000).

*Fun Fact: Wimbledon 2002 made history when 15 of the top 17 seeded ATP players were bounced in or before the third round - save No. 1 Hewitt and No. 4 Tim Henman. The 15 players included: Marat Safin (2), Andre Agassi (3), Pete Sampras (6), Roger Federer (7), and Andy Roddick (11), helping Hewitt cruise to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 28 Nalbandian.

Bonus Fun Fact: In each year Hewitt championed a singles Grand Slam, he would go on to win the Tennis Masters Cup (ATP World Tour Finals) and finish as year-end No. 1.

Extra Bonus Fun Fact: Hewitt is the last Wimbledon champion outside of the Big Four, embarking a 12-year streak for Federer (2003-07, 2009, 2012), Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010), and Andy Murray (2013).

Finally, the aforementioned dive: