Article
09 Jun 2023
Five things to know about Cruz Hewitt
09 Jun 2023
- The first – and most obvious – thing to say is that Cruz Hewitt is the son of former world No. 1, two-time Grand Slam singles champion and Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt. Cruz is not the first player to follow in the footsteps of an illustrious parent – here is an article from the Spring 2021 edition of ITFWorld which focuses on tennis players with famous parents.
- Why are we talking about Cruz Hewitt? The 14-year-old has just won his second ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors title of the season, and third of his career, at J60 Darwin. In May, Hewitt topped the podium at J30 Christiansted, building on his victory at J30 Lautoka in November 2022. His triumph at J60 Darwin is the biggest title-win of his fledgling career.
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- In 1997, Lleyton Hewitt made history by becoming the youngest player to qualify for the Australian Open main draw. He was just 15 years old. When Cruz was seven, Lleyton expressed hope that his son would go one better and make the main draw at 14. Cruz is yet to emulate his father in this regard, although in January he did enter qualifying for the Australian Open Junior Championships – his Junior Grand Slam debut – but lost in the first round to Adhithya Ganesan of the United States.
- With Lleyton being Australia’s Davis Cup captain, Cruz is a regular visitor to the national team’s training sessions and ties where he hits with team members, and he is said to have developed a strong bond with Alex de Minaur. Representing Australia was such an integral part of Lleyton’s career – he is a two-time Davis Cup champion – so perhaps a similar pathway awaits Cruz. He did represent Australia in ITF World Junior Tennis – the ITF's flagship competition in the 14-and-under age category – in 2022 so has competed in the famous green and gold.
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- Cruz is coached by former player Matt Reid, who reached a career high of No. 183 in the world. As well as being his doubles partner, Reid has also coached Nick Kyrgios.