Lleyton Hewitt's 15-year-old son, Cruz, is preparing for his biggest stage yet after earning a wildcard to the Australian Open.
His entry comes more than 25 years after his Grand Slam-winning father competed in the same tournament in 1996 when he was 14 years old.
Cruz is ranked 199th in the boys' rankings for his age group and is one of 10 other Australian junior players to earn a wildcard.
This will be Hewitt's first appearance in the main draw at junior level at a Grand Slam when the tournament begins on January 20.
Hoping to follow in his legendary father's footsteps, Cruz spent the final months of 2023 playing on the ITF junior and men's circuits, winning three junior titles.
He played in a junior event in Victoria this week, losing in the second round to a 17-year-old from Kazakhstan.
Cruz has yet to qualify for the main draw of the ITF Men's Championship, having fallen at the final hurdle twice.
He recently spent some time training with Australian World No. 10 Alex de Minaur, with his father present at the training session.
Lleyton Hewitt famously made his first appearance in the main draw of the Australian Open after qualifying in the qualifiers in 1997, losing in the first round.
The 2024 Australian Open Junior Championship will be held at Melbourne Park from January 20 to 27.
Originally published as Cruz Hewitt earned a wildcard in the junior boys event at the Australian Open
