Cruz Hewitt sets sights on surpassing dad Lleyton after taste of Australian Open

Cruz Hewitt has no problem carrying the weight of his famous surname, with the son of Australian tennis great Lleyton making his ambitions clear.

Cruz Hewitt says he feels no pressure carrying the famous family name declaring his goal is to one day surpass his father’s feats on a tennis court.

The son of former world No.1 and two-time grand slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, Cruz is forging his own path in professional tennis and has set himself the lofty goal of one day surpassing his father.

“There’s definitely pros and cons (to being a Hewitt) but I try to focus on the good things that come with it,” he told Channel 9.

“The pressure doesn’t bother me too much, I feel like it’s kind of a challenge to, you know, be better than him, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Lleyton Hewitt watch son Cruz Hewitt in action in the Australian Open juniors tournament. Picture: Mark Stewart

Cruz got his first taste of top-flight tennis this month when he was handed a qualifying wildcard for the Australian Open.

But the fixturing gods gave the 16-year-old no favours as he was knocked out in the first round of qualifying by former top-20 player Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets.

And on Tuesday, his Junior Australian Open run ended at the hands of junior world No.1 Jan Kumstat, 6-3 7-6.

“It’s good to be here and it was great to get the opportunity to play in the men’s qualifying,” Cruz said.

“I think it was a great step forward and I learned a lot from the experience with the crowd and just playing those men’s players instead of the junior players.

“I feel like playing the men, every point is the same level and there’s no let-up (whereas) in juniors, you get a few cheaper points here and there.”

Cruz Hewitt has set himself the loftiest of targets. Picture: Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images

Cruz said he tried to channel the excitement and confidence of American star Ben Shelton whenever he took the court, adding he rarely felt nervous before a match.

The teenager got the opportunity of a lifetime this month to train with world No.1 Jannik Sinner, world No.3 Carlos Alcaraz and world No.8 Alex de Minaur.

“Jannik asked me to practice on the Saturday before the tournament – I was so excited, world No.1, it’s like a dream practice with him,” Cruz said.

“Also with Carlos, he was incredible, so nice – and then Alex de Minaur is like my older brother so he’s always nice to me. I’m really close with him, he teaches me so much on and off the court.”

Originally published as Cruz Hewitt sets sights on surpassing dad Lleyton after taste of Australian Open