Lleyton Hewitt, the former world No. 1 in tennis, marked his comeback to the sport after an absence of almost six years. He partnered with his 16-year-old son, Cruz, in a remarkable performance that led to a decisive victory. The father-son duo dominated their opponents, Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov, with a commanding score of 6-1, 6-0 in just under an hour.
Receiving a wildcard entry into the main draw of the NSW Open, a Challenger tournament held in Sydney, Hewitt and his son showcased their skills. Despite facing four break points, they managed to save all of them and swiftly advanced to the quarter-finals.
Hewitt, a two-time winner of Grand Slam titles, had his last singles match back in 2016 but only officially retired from doubles at the 2020 Australian Open. In their recent match, Hewitt, aged 44, displayed no signs of rustiness and demonstrated his comfort on the court, securing victory with a net winner at the Ken Rosewall Arena.
Following his retirement, Hewitt has stayed connected to tennis as the captain of Australia’s Davis Cup team, actively supporting his son, Cruz, who is making his own mark in the sport. Cruz, a promising teenager, has participated in junior Grand Slam events and is now establishing himself in the Challenger circuit.
Earlier this year, Cruz competed in the Wimbledon boys’ singles tournament, where he encountered a minor disagreement with his father, who was spectating from the stands. Despite a victorious start, Cruz faced a defeat against Oskari Paldanius in the second round.
Reported by the Daily Mail, Cruz Hewitt, currently ranked 759th globally, expressed frustration towards his father for “playing up to the cameras” and disregarding his advice during the match.
Despite encountering some setbacks, including an early exit in the men’s Australian Open qualifying rounds, Cruz has been demonstrating improvement at the Challenger level in recent competitions.
In a recent tournament in Brisbane, Cruz secured his first Challenger-level victory by defeating James McCabe, ranked 192nd, before succumbing to Wu Tung-lin in a challenging three-set match.
He further clinched a win in the singles event before exiting in the second round. Currently holding a career-high ranking of 759, Cruz triumphed over fellow Australian Omar Jasika and then faced a defeat against Matsuoka Hayato in a closely contested match before advancing to the doubles quarter-finals alongside his father.
In their upcoming match, Hewitt and his son are scheduled to play against another Australian duo, Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny.
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