Lleyton Hewitt’s teenage son Cruz suffered another defeat at the Australian Open.
The 16-year-old received a wildcard into the qualifying draw but lost his opening match.
Cruz then entered the junior event and got to the second round, where he was ousted by the top seed.
The teenager had been hoping to follow in the footsteps of his father, former world No. 1 Lleyton, who made his first Australian Open appearance as a 15-year-old when he got a qualifying wildcard.
In 1997, the elder Hewitt stormed into the main draw but was given a brutal opponent for his opening match and lost to two-time Major winner Sergi Bruguera.
Almost three decades later, Cruz had a chance to emulate his dad when he also got a free pass into the qualification event. But he suffered a straight-set defeat to former world No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili earlier this month.
The 16-year-old was able to enter the junior draw after failing to qualify for the men’s singles, and he beat Kim Moobeen before losing to No. 1 seed Jan Kumstat.
Cruz has now spoken out after suffering his second loss at the 2025 Australian Open, explaining what it’s like to be compared to his dad.
“I mean, there’s definitely pros and cons but I try and focus on the good things that come with it,” he said on Australia’s Channel Nine while sitting alongside Lleyton.
Currently sitting at No. 62 in the ITF junior rankings, the teenager is already hoping to outdo his father’s career.
He added: “The pressure doesn’t bother me too much. I feel like it’s kind of a challenge to be better than him, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”
The Hewitt name attracts Aussie tennis fans to the stands when Cruz is in action, whether it’s in qualifying or juniors. And he’s enjoyed the support.
“It was really fun with the crowd, especially in my match the other day, the fantactics were getting the crowd up,” he continued.
“I feel like that brought me more energy to keep fighting and I think it kept me in the match and gave me a chance to come back.”
Although his qualifying campaign is a distant memory – Cruz crashed out more than two weeks ago – the 16-year-old is also glad he got a taste of professional tennis.
He explained: “It was great to get the opportunity to play in the men’s qualifying. I think it was a great step forward and I think I learned a lot from the experience with the crowd and just playing those men players instead of the junior players now.”
