Federer pays tribute to 'Kiwi' Hewitt

Roger Federer's attempt to pay tribute to former world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt has left the Swiss tennis star red-faced, after he mistakenly labelled him a New Zealander.

Despite being close rivals on the ATP tennis circuit for more than 15 years, a tweet – which has since been hastily corrected - from the Swiss master revealed his hazy knowledge of where Hewitt hails from.

Federer posted the original tweet prior to Hewitt's match against Jarkko Nieminen, the highest ranked Finnish tennis player of all time.

Hewitt was knocked out of Wimbledon as a result of the five-set first-round loss to Nieminen. The former Australian champion enjoyed a service break in the deciding set, only to falter in a 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-0 10-8 defeat. Following his final match at the All England Club, Hewitt thanked his colleagues for their fitting tributes - seeming unfazed about Federer's mishap. Federer was just one of many paying tribute to the retiring former world No 1. Others paying tribute included Australian cricket team coach Darren Lehmann, golfer Greg Norman and fellow tennis players Andy Murray and Anny Roddick.