Cruz Hewitt aims to emulate his father's feat: Could match Lleyton Hewitt's Australian Open record

Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt made history during his debut at the 1997 Australian Open. Now, his 16-year-old son Cruz, who recently received a wildcard for the tournament's qualifying rounds, has the opportunity to replicate his father's achievement as the youngest player to reach the main draw at the first Grand Slam of the year.

Not everyone was pleased with Cruz receiving the wildcard, as many fans on social media criticized the decision and accused the organisers of "nepotism." The Australian teenager, currently ranked No. 107 in the junior category and World No. 1264 in the ATP rankings, will be the lowest-ranked player in the qualifying rounds.

Cruz Hewitt steps into the spotlight

As the son of a two-time Grand Slam champion, Cruz faces high expectations to follow in his father's footsteps. Lleyton was not only one of the best players in tennis history but also shone at an early age. He remains the second-youngest player to achieve the World No. 1 ranking, a feat he accomplished at 20 years and 9 months, a record surpassed only by Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 at 19 years and 4 months.

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Lleyton still holds the record for the youngest player to reach the Australian Open main draw, a milestone he achieved in 1997 at just 15 years and 323 days. He lost in the first round to Sergi Bruguera in straight sets.

Cruz will need to win three consecutive matches to qualify for the main draw, which would make him the youngest player to advance through the Australian Open qualifiers since his father in 1997. However, even if successful, Cruz would still fall short of his father's record, as he would enter the main draw at 16 years and 32 days old—just over two months older than Lleyton was when he set the record 27 years ago.

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