44-year-old Lleyton Hewitt has decided to briefly step out of retirement to play doubles with his 16-year-old son, Cruz Hewitt, at the Sydney Challenger. The father-son duo received a wildcard for the NSW Open and defeated Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov in their first match at the round of 16. In singles, Cruz defeated Omar Jasika in the first round. However, he lost to Matsuoka Hayato in the next match.
Lleyton, who is a former World No. 1, retired from tennis in 2016 but returned to doubles in 2018, playing at events like the Adelaide International and the 2020 Australian Open. However, this latest comeback is extra special as his son Cruz begins his own journey in professional tennis.
Cruz Hewitt’s Childhood and Background
Cruz was born on December 11, 2008, to Lleyton and Rebecca, who is a TV presenter, actress, and singer. mother, Rebecca June Hewitt, is a TV presenter, actress, and singer. Sports run in the family. Sports run in the Hewitt household, as Cruz’s aunt, Jaslyn Hewitt-Shehadi, also played professional tennis and his grandfather, Glynn, had a long career in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Cruz spent most of his early childhood in the Bahamas, where he first got into soccer. The family moved to Melbourne in 2016 after his father’s first retirement from tennis. They then moved to Gold Coast in 2021, where Cruz trained at the KDV Tennis Academy.
The Young Hewitt’s Tennis Career
Cruz began his junior tennis career soon after he turned 13 and played his first ITF junior event at J1 Traralgon in early 2022. That year, he won his maiden junior title at a J5 event in Lautoka, Fiji. By the end of 2024, the Aussie climbed into the top 15 of the World Junior Rankings.
Cruz played his first professional event at 14 when he got a direct entry into the qualifying draw in an ITF M25 tournament in Darwin. In 2025, he continued competing in ITF tournaments and even made his senior Grand Slam qualifying debut at the Australian Open. Here, the teenager suffered an opening-round defeat to Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Cruz is currently competing at the NSW Open, a Challenger event, where he is partnering his father Lleyton in the men’s doubles event.
A day they’ll never forget 🇦🇺✨
Lleyton Hewitt comes out of retirement to team up with his son Cruz as they cruise to a 6-1, 6-0 debut win in Sydney!#ATPChallenger | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/e00TkW15PE
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 19, 2025
The duo got off to an impressive start, thrashing Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov 6-1, 6-0 in the opening round. They will next face Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny in the quarterfinals, with the winner facing either Marek Gengel and Emil Hudd or Shinji Hazawa and Leo Vithoontien.
