Cruz Hewitt preparing for Australian Open Junior Championships debut
What do you get if you combine a little bit of Lleyton Hewitt with a forehand like Nick Kyrgios? Cruz Hewitt, one of Australia’s brightest young tennis talents hoping to follow in the footsteps of his famous dad.
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A son of a gun will this weekend make an Australian Open debut that Aussie sports fans hope kickstarts another green and gold Grand Slam career.
A little more than 25 years since his famous father Lleyton first played at Melbourne Park, 15-year-old Cruz Hewitt will follow in his footsteps after winning wildcard entry to the Australian Open Junior Championships.
Hewitt senior will next week be honoured with a hall of fame ceremony and bronze bust at Melbourne Park.
But his rising star son will steal the spotlight first as he takes to the court against the world’s best up and coming players.
Former Aussie tennis star Alicia Molik said fans had every reason to be excted about Hewitt Junior, who plays with the same passion as his Wimbledon and US Open winner dad – with a touch of Nick Kyrgios.
“He’s one of the best young players in Australia,’’ she told the Herald Sun.
“He’s been rewarded with a wildcard into the junior event.
“I think he plays similar to Lleyton but I know he’s a big fan of Nick Kyrgios so if you watch his forehand he has a really similar technique to Nick.’’
Lleyton Hewitt was just 14 when he played juniors at the Open before going on to win two majors in a famous career.
It will be his son’s main-draw debut at the junior Grand Slam level, when the tournament begins on January 20.
“This is where it all starts,’’ Molik said.
“Lleyton beat (Andre) Agassi in the final of the Adelaide International when he was 15.
“Cruz is doing exceptionally well … I hear great things.
“I hear he is pretty resilient, he’s competitive, he’s obviously spent a lot of time around professional tennis too which I think really helps him.’’
Cruz has also made the most of his dad’s tutelage of Australia’s best men’s hope at the Open, hitting on court during practice with world No. 10 Alex de Minaur at Melbourne Park last week.
Cruz is ranked 199 in the boys rankings for his age group.
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