Lleyton Hewitt’s son Cruz has received an Australian Open qualifying wildcard (Image: Getty)
Lleyton Hewitt’s son has received a wildcard into the qualifying draw.
Cruz, who is just 16, got his first taste of the Aussie Grand Slam when he entered the junior event this year. And he will be back in 2025, bidding to earn a spot in the men’s singles field.
The teenager will be bidding to emulate his dad who came through qualifying to make his first main draw appearance as a 15-year-old.
In 1997, Lleyton was also granted a qualifying wildcard. He stormed through to reach the main draw but lost to two-time Major winner Sergi Bruguera in the first round.
Lleyton went on to become one of Australia’s biggest talents, reaching No. 1 in the world and winning two Major titles. Twenty-seven years later, Cruz will attempt to copy his dad after receiving a wildcard into the preliminary rounds too.
It’s the 16-year-old’s first shot at playing amongst the pros after getting a wildcard into the junior event in 2024. Cruz suffered a first-round defeat to Alexander Razeghi, who was star-struck seeing Lleyton in the stands.
“I was pretty nervous coming into the match, his dad is the best Australian tennis player ever,” the American said after winning 6-2 6-3.
Cruz Hewitt competed in the junior boys’ event at the 2024 Australian Open (Image: Getty)
Just in
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
But Cruz will hope things go better in the qualifying rounds, where he is one of 11 Australian men in the field. Bernard Tomic, Jason Kubler, and Alex Bolt will try to reach the main draw.
Meanwhile, Marc Polmans, Dane Sweeny, Matthew Dellavedova, Hayden Jones, Blake Ellis, Edward Winter and Pavle Marinkov have also been given wildcards into qualifying.
There are 13 Australian women in the qualifying draw – Kimberly Birrell, Maddison Inglis, Arina Rodionova, Priscilla Hon, Taylah Preston, and Destanee Aiava got in off their own respective rankings.
Astra Sharma, Tina Smith, Petra Hule, Melisa Ercan, Elena Micic, Lizette Cabrera, and Jaimee Fourlis received wildcards.
went to , the former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion who has barely played after having her drugs ban lifted.
The Romanian was allowed to return to competition last March when the Court of Arbitration for Sport slashed her suspension from four years to nine months. But she has barely played, struggling with injuries while her ranking is too low to enter big events.
“The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I’m very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity,” the 2018 finalist said.
“I have been working hard to get ready for the 2025 season.”