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Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt made a winning return from hip surgery on Monday but couldn't prevent Australia's narrow 2-1 defeat to Germany in the Hopman Cup mixed teams event.

Hewitt was impressive in his 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Nicolas Kiefer but the German took his revenge with a thrilling match tie-break win in the decisive mixed doubles encounter 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 10-5.

"It has been close to five months since I played a match and it has been a long time coming," said Hewitt, 27, after the singles match.

"It was a great way to start the year. He is a really tough opponent, it was a matter of me hanging in there and weathering the storm, and in the end I was able to turn the match around..

"It takes a lot of courage to come back from surgery, and lose the first set in a close tie-break and then win the second third convincingly, it is a good start."

Hewitt ended 2008 ranked 68th, the first time he had been outside the top 50 since 1998. He was playing for the first time since his operation after the Beijing Olympics in August.

The former US Open and Wimbledon champion appeared to be moving freely in his comeback match as he recovered from a set down against Kiefer, who has been ranked as high as fourth but has also had injury problems.

But the day's star turned out to be German teenager Sabine Lisicki, who came from a set down to beat hometown favourite Casey Dellacqua in the women's singles before helping Kiefer clinch the doubles.

The 19-year-old Lisicki reeled off the last three games of the singles match as Dellacqua dramatically imploded on her Hopman Cup debut, winning just one of the last 13 points after serving for the match.

"I was just fighting," Lisicki said after the 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win.

"It was my first match of the year, and it's never easy, especially against Casey here at home.

"Sometimes I just missed some easy balls, but I am really happy with that win."

Despite the loss, Hewitt and Dellacqua looked set to clinch the Group A tie when they won the first set of the mixed doubles. But the German pair won the second set and dominated the match tie-break.

Hewitt, who has set his sights on a return to the top 10, is using the Hopman Cup as a warm-up for this month's Australian Open Grand Slam in Melbourne