sport
Brisbane's rising tennis star Cruz Hewitt turns focus to pro ranks after Wimbledon junior exit
The 17-year-old son of former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt fell in the Wimbledon boys' final, but his coach and local club officials say his development is on track.
How we reported this
Cruz Hewitt’s junior career ended at the All England Club on Sunday, but the Brisbane teenager is already setting his sights on the professional circuit, his camp says.
The 17-year-old, who trains at the Queensland Tennis Centre at Tennyson, lost the Wimbledon boys’ singles final to Jordan Lee. It was his last junior match before he turns his full attention to senior events later this year.
“He’s been working towards this step for a while,” said a Tennis Queensland spokesperson. “Cruz has the game and the temperament; it’s about getting matches now.”
Local roots in Brisbane’s tennis community
Hewitt grew up on the clay and hard courts of the Park Tennis Club in Auchenflower, where his father Lleyton Hewitt won his first junior trophy. The club’s head coach said Cruz still drops in for sessions when he’s not travelling.
“He’s a kid from this city who just happens to have a famous surname,” the coach said. “He does his reps here like everyone else.”
The Queensland Tennis Centre, which opened in 2009 on King Arthur Terrace, hosts the annual Brisbane International ATP and WTA event. Cruz Hewitt has played exhibition matches there, and officials expect he will qualify for the main draw within two years.
His exit at Wimbledon came in a tight three-set battle, but his coach noted that his serve speed and court coverage have improved measurably since January.
What happens next
Cruz Hewitt is scheduled to play a series of ATP Challenger events in Australia and Asia from August, starting with the Queensland Championships at the Pat Rafter Arena in August 2026. He has also accepted a wildcard into the qualifying draw for the US Open in New York.
For now, he is back in Brisbane, training at the National Tennis Academy on Morningside’s Wynnum Road, where he works with the same fitness staff that prepared his father for his 2001 US Open title.
“The plan is to get 30 to 40 matches at Challenger level by the end of the year,” a source close to the family said. “There’s no rush. He’s only 17.”
The Queensland Tennis Centre announced that it will host a junior development showcase in September, with Hewitt committed to playing an exhibition against top Australian juniors. Tickets go on sale through the centre’s website on August 1.