Hewitt retires post gutsy loss to Ferrer in Oz Open

Australian tennis star LLeyton Hewitt has ended his illustrious career on a sad note following his early exit from the Australian Open.

Suffering a straight set defeat at the hands of Spain's David Ferrer in the second round on Thursday, the Australian called curtains on his 20-year-old long career.

The former world number one suffered a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 defeat at the hands of the eighth-seed Spaniard at Rod Laver Arena.

Earlier, Hewitt had kicked off his Australian Open campaign by beating callow James Duckworth 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round.