Lleyton and Cruz Hewitt have taken the court together at the NSW Open, putting on an absolute clinic to win their match at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Sydney on Wednesday.
It was a nostalgic sight to witness two generations of Hewitts play a match together, as the father-son duo took on Pavle Marinkov and Aussie teenager Hayden Jones in their opening round doubles match.
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The Hewitts put on a clinic, claiming a 6-1 6-0 victory in less than an hour to progress to the next round of the doubles tournament.
At 44 years of age, Hewitt senior looked in great shape at the NSW Open, sporting a backwards cap and his Yonex racquet.
The Hewitts won their opening service game and Lleyton showed excellent touch at the net, producing countless volley winners throughout the match.
Watch Cruz and Lleyton in action in the video above
Cruz ended a 15-shot rally with a superb forehand passing shot around the net, with the winner eliciting a “shot mate!” from his dad and applause from the crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Cruz ripped a forehand down the line to break serve and make it 3-1 as the Hewitts ran away with the opening set 6-1.
Lleyton was heard saying “that’s it” as Cruz hit two well-placed volleys to win a point late in the first set.
He also let rip a trademark “come on!” early in the second set when two forehand winners forced a break of serve.
Several times Lleyton barked “leave it!” at Cruz as the ball sailed out, with the father-son dynamic on show.
He moved across the net and hit a deft backhand volley to seal the victory, sharing a classy embrace with his son after leaving no doubt that he’s still got it.
Earlier, Cruz had beaten fellow Aussie Omar Jasika 3-6 7-6 6-4 but lost his next singles match in a tight 5-7 6-3 7-5 battle with Japan’s Hayato Matsuoka.
Hewitt excited for Cruz match, pays tribute to wife
Lleyton was clearly looking forward to the chance to play a match with 16-year-old Cruz, who is ranked 759th in the world.
“It’s obviously something pretty unique and special,” the Wimbledon and US Open champion told tennis.com.au.
“It’s not too often (that the opportunity comes up) and there probably will be a time where I won’t be good enough or physically able to play with him. And now he’s obviously stepped up to the mark and is good enough to play, so it sort of just crosses over nicely.
“Sydney’s a pretty special place as well. Obviously Cruz was born there and we have a lot of family and friends in Sydney, but I won four Sydney International titles as well. I played the Olympics there in Sydney in 2000 when I’d just come on the tour, and I also won the Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney in 2001 to get to World No. 1.”
Hewitt was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame at a star studded event in Melbourne earlier this week, where the two-time grand slam champion paid tribute to his wife Bec.
“To my beautiful supporting wife Bec,” he said. “It’s not easy being a partner of a tennis player. Tennis is a very individual sport.
“And you do have to be selfish at certain times to be able to perform on the big stage and do a lot of the things that are gonna give you the chance to have the best opportunity to perform. And Bec’s travelled the world with us and it’s a grind, and especially with three young kids, we’ve had to move base and set up overseas.
“And she’s done everything with grace and elegance and you’ve been the rock the whole time supporting me, and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to continue my career and be able to play 20 Australian Opens without you. So I’m eternally grateful and I love you so much. Thank you.”
Meanwhile Bernard Tomic withdrew from his match against Matsuoka just one point into the second set as he struggled with a leg injury.
The 33-year-old veteran has enjoyed a late-career resurgence in the last few years.
At the end of August 2022, Tomic was a 29-year-old ranked 835 in the world, and completely off the radar, but is now 182 in the world with more than $220,000 in prize money this year alone.
Hewitt, Australia’s Davis Cup captain, praised Tomic for plying his trade on the Challenger circuit but said he doesn’t know why the 33-year-old is still playing.
“It’s a hard one – I don’t think anyone fully knows,” Hewitt said, per The Australian.
“I’m not sure if he doesn’t know what else to do, or if he still feels he has some unfinished business. It’s a tough one, but you’ve got to take your hat off to him in terms of the places he’s gone to, and the tournaments that he’s been playing the last few years, compared to where he was at centre stage and playing the big names.
“He’s still going out there and having a crack. He doesn’t mind playing on back-courts. I spoke to him a couple of times this week, and I don’t know what his plans are.”
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