Hewitt received the trophy from Australian great Rod Laver, a regular at the Australian Open final presentations involving Federer over the years.
"It's been a while since I won a trophy. For me to get it from you really means a lot," Hewitt said. "I don't need to congratulate Roger, he gets congratulated every week when he's up here for finals!"
Hewitt had not won a title since he beat Federer in the final at Halle in 2010 and his most recent tournament victory on home soil was the 2005 Sydney International; the same year he lost the Australian Open decider to Marat Safin.
That result at Halle ended a 15-match losing streak to Federer. Now he has won two of their past three matches in the twilight of a career that peaked when he was ranked No. 1 for 80 weeks and won the 2001 U.S. Open and 2002 Wimebledon titles.
Hewitt's ranking was projected to reach the low 40s with a win. He finished last season at No. 61 in another disrupted season after toe, foot, hand, hip and back injuries kept him off the tour for long periods between 2007 and the start of 2013.
"We've been through a rough four of five years, five different surgeries, it's been tough," Hewitt said, thanking his support group and paying tribute to his wife and three children.
Updated on: January 05, 2014 14:55 IST
