Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt staged a remarkable comeback to professional tennis alongside his 16-year-old son, Cruz, clinching a decisive victory after almost six years of retirement. The father-son duo displayed an impressive performance, overpowering Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov with a swift 6-1, 6-0 win in a mere 48 minutes.
Securing a wildcard entry into the main draw of the NSW Open, a Challenger event in Sydney, Hewitt and his son capitalized on the opportunity. Hewitt, recognized for his signature backward cap, and Cruz adeptly defended against all four break points, swiftly advancing to the quarter-finals.
Having last competed in singles in 2016 and formally retiring from doubles at the 2020 Australian Open, the 44-year-old Hewitt exhibited no signs of rustiness during the match. Hewitt confidently maneuvered the Ken Rosewall Arena, culminating in victory with a well-executed net winner.
Post-retirement, Hewitt has remained active in tennis as the captain of Australia’s Davis Cup team, actively supporting his son Cruz in his burgeoning tennis career. Cruz, a rising talent, has participated in junior Grand Slam tournaments and is progressively making a mark in the Challenger circuit.
Despite facing setbacks, including an early exit in the men’s Australian Open qualifying rounds this year, Cruz has demonstrated improvement at the Challenger level in recent weeks. Notably, he secured his first Challenger-level victory in Brisbane against world No. 192 James McCabe before a valiant effort in a three-set match against Wu Tung-lin.
With a current career-high ranking of 759, Cruz achieved another singles victory in Brisbane before bowing out in the second round. Subsequently, joining forces with his father in the doubles event, they advanced to the quarter-finals and are slated to compete against another Australian duo, Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny, in the upcoming match.