The son of a previous Wimbledon singles champion raised some eyebrows after he picked up his first win at the All England Club while competing in the junior event for the first time
Cruz Hewitt, the son of 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton, celebrated his first victory at the All England Club on Sunday morning. The 16-year-old is participating in the junior draw for the first time and trounced Savva Rybkin 6-1, 6-2.
The legacy athlete made short work of his Russian opponent and advanced to the second round. There, he’ll face off against Oskari Paldanius of Finland as he hunts a place in the last 16, per The Mirror US.
If there were any hints of favouritism in handing Hewitt undue aid, he continues to put such doubts to bed. And even his style of play has been likened to that of his tennis icon dad, who retired almost a decade ago.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald after his win, Cruz said: “Dad was proud. It was great to have him there. [It’s always been] me watching him, and he just said, ‘Now you can finally play on the courts and enjoy it’, so it was a great day.
“There is nothing you can do about [who your dad is]. It’s a little tough, but there are pros and cons, and you’ve just got to focus on the positives that come with it, so that’s what I try and do. It was a great feeling. I’ve watched my dad play here for many years, and I’ve always wanted to play on these courts, so I was enjoying every moment.”
Hewitt Jr. began his journey on the Challenger Tour last August, aiming to emulate his father’s success. The young Aussie was controversially handed a wildcard into qualifying for his home Grand Slam earlier this year, a decision that drew criticism from fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios.
“Love ya Cruz but this is wild,” commented Kyrgios, who has quarrelled with his former Team Australia captain in the past, presumably suggesting Hewitt’s son had benefited due to his family ties. However, one could argue the prospect proved he was deserving of the spot.
Hewitt Jr faced a tough draw and lost to former world No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round. However, he managed to reach the second round in the junior event in Melbourne.
Despite a three-set defeat in the first round of the French Open juniors last month, Hewitt has now equalled his career-best run at SW19. That’s after reaching the second round of the juniors competition in scintillating style.
So far, he has amassed 25 ranking points from Australian Open qualifying and the Challenger Tour, which places him at No. 826 in the world rankings.
Yet the teenager is still waiting to make his debut on the ATP tour. His dad triumphed over Argentina’s David Nalbandian to become the first Australian to clinch the Wimbledon title 15 years back in 2002.
Hewitt Sr had also won the US Open in 2001, less than four years after turning professional. He retired from singles play in 2016 but didn’t give up doubles play until 2020.
In response to the backlash following his son’s Australian Open wildcard, the two-time Grand Slam winner defended his son, saying: “It’s a long journey. I was excited to watch him play. He had a tough draw playing Basilashvili, a former No. 16 and a guy who played finals at Indian Wells.
“For Cruz to be around these guys, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur… what unbelievable role models for him to see how they prepare.
“He is playing well at the moment and it makes me excited when I see him hit with some of these world-class players…he can actually give them a good enough hit out there.”
Hewitt will hope to still be as confident in his son’s abilities following his clash against Paldanius on Tuesday. The Finn is ranked 11th in the men’s draw and is two years older than Cruz, albeit sitting 151 places below his opponent in the world rankings.