He might have earned close to $30 million this year alone, but Lleyton Hewitt says he would play tennis for nothing.

Returning to Adelaide after retaining the season-end No.1 ranking and successfully defending the Masters Cup title in Shanghai, Hewitt said it was his love of the game and his competitive spirit that drove him.

"It's obviously great that I'm getting fantastic money playing and going out there and doing something I love," he said.

"But I'd be playing if there was no money.

"It's like Davis Cup, there's not much money playing Davis Cup.

"When I set my schedule at the start of the year Davis Cup is the first thing that I write down.

"So I'm not playing tennis for the money. I just love going out there and competing."

The 21-year-old Hewitt bagged $6.68 million in prizemoney this year plus a $1.54 million bonus for finishing number one.

Add that to his endorsement contracts, including an estimated $12 million from racquet producer Yonex and $6 million from footwear and clothing supplier Nike and he is easily one of Australia's highest-paid sports stars.

Despite his wealth, Hewitt said he had no plans to base himself anywhere other than Adelaide.

"I enjoy coming home, it's as simple as that," he said.

"I don't get to do it as often as I'd like to but at the end of the day there's no place like home.

"If I have a few weeks off then I enjoy, even though it's a long flight, coming back.

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