Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt faced a shocking defeat in a thrilling five-set encounter against Jarkko Nieminen in the first round of his final appearance at the tournament.

The Australian, who won the tournament in 2002, was beaten 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-0 11-9 by Finland’s Nieminen, the BBC reported.

Thirty four-year -old Hewitt will retire from tennis after the 2016 Australian Open.

Nieminen, also playing his final Wimbledon, will face world number one Novak Djokovic in the second round.