It is 14 years since Tim Henman picked up the one and only victory of his career against Lleyton Hewitt.
Now the Briton goes head to head against the Aussie again as the team captains square up in the quarter-finals of the ATP Cup in Sydney on Wednesday night.
Much like Henman was during his career against Hewitt, he will be the underdog.
Australia have not dropped a set in the new tournament, which is being staged in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, while Britain snuck in at the top of their group thanks to a Belgian turnaround against Bulgaria on Tuesday.
But Hewitt pointed to some advantages his rivals will have.
He said: “They have got a pretty even team across the board — singles and doubles — and they’re used to the Sydney conditions as well playing there all week. It’s going to be a tough one.”
On paper, Australia are much superior — they have Alex di Minaur in the world’s top 20, while Nick Kyrgios has shown some of his best tennis as well as keeping a level head.
However, Henman said he was relishing the opportunity of the Hewitt match-up even before Britain were assured of a place in the last eight.
He said: “I have kept an eye on the other cities and what’s been going on there. It would be a lot of fun. Obviously, I have a lot of history with Lleyton. It would be a big challenge, but we would love that opportunity.”
Henman has enjoyed getting the best out of the mercurial Dan Evans, who picked up the scalp of world no11 David Goffin this week.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova has been awarded a wildcard into the main draw for the Australian Open having slumped to 147th in the world following an injury ravaged 2019 season.
The former champion was informed of the decision today despite losing to American qualifier Jennifer Brady 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 at the Brisbane International.
The five-time Grand Slam winner has been curtailed by a shoulder problem, which required surgery last year, and admitted she had been fighting a virus in the past two weeks.
