Cruz Hewitt’s career shift after his watershed week at Wimbledon
After coming agonisingly close to winning the junior title at Wimbledon, Cruz Hewitt has revealed what’s next now he’s confirmed his arrival as Australia’s hottest new tennis ace
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Cruz Hewitt came painfully close to claiming the Wimbledon boys’ final but the tournament certainly marked the start of his future in the tennis world.
The 17-year-old was the first Australian to make a Wimbledon boys’ final since Alex de Minaur in 2016. Cruz met the same fate as the Demon a decade ago, losing 4-6 6-4 7-5 to American Jordan Lee.
It’s 24 years since Cruz’s father Lleyton Hewitt won the Wimbledon men’s singles title and Cruz’s parents rode every shot with him in the final on centre court in front of a large crowd.
The Aussie teenager came out firing, taking the first set in just over half an hour.
But from that point on, the match turned into a battle — double faults* and unforced errors* began to mount for Cruz, while the American lifted his game and claimed the win by breaking Cruz to love*.
Cruz was aiming to become the first Australian to win a junior grand slam title since Alexei Popyrin at the 2017 French Open, and the first Aussie junior Wimbledon champion since Ash Barty and Luke Saville won the double in 2011.
After de Minaur’s fourth round exit in the men’s competition, Cruz quickly became the Australian story at Wimbledon, exceeding most expectations by winning five matches to reach the final, having never previously made it past the second round at a junior grand slam.
“A very special week for me,” Cruz said on court after the final.
“I played some good tennis. I’m happy with my level and to make the final on this beautiful court, it’s been really unreal.”
He added: “I grew up around this tournament seeing my dad play, seeing this court for many years now. It’s a privilege to play on any court here and being around all the fans. Thanks everyone for coming out.”
With his father, 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton sitting in his player’s box, it was impossible to escape the father-son narrative* and comparisons with his dad.
The “Come on!” fist pumps and mop of blond hair are eerily* similar to a young Lleyton. While Cruz doesn’t yet cover the court quite as well as his dad did, he possesses the height, and weapons including a 200km/hr serve that will do the job nicely on tour.
MAINTAINING CRUISE CONTROL
After his huge breakthrough, focus immediately turned to his next goal, which he said would be making the men’s main draw of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
“That would be the dream, that’s a big goal of mine,” he said, of possibly being granted a wildcard* at Melbourne Park next year.
Cruz has been playing pro tour events this season and he told reporters he probably would not play another junior boys’ level tournament.
Cruz has been a popular figure at the All England Club with Roger Federer’s children cheering him on. Cruz said he had spoken to the Swiss legend around the grounds while in London. Federer won eight Wimbledon men’s singles, making him the most successful Wimbledon men’s champion of all time.
“He’s a very nice guy,” Cruz said.
Cute footage resurfaced this week of a six-year-old Cruz hitting with Federer. A decade on and the blonde-haired youngster has now made his own mark at Wimbledon.
“I did see that, that was pretty crazy,” Cruz said.
“That was a kid with a dream to play at Wimbledon and make the final. It makes me appreciate what I’ve done this week and to be proud of myself. Seeing that, I think that little kid would be happy.”
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GLOSSARY
- double faults: twice failing serve the ball over the net and in the proper place
- unforced errors: a mistake that is a result of your own decision, rather than being caused by something someone else has done
- love: love means having a score of zero or nil
- narrative: a story or an account of a series of event
- eerily: something that happens in a spooky, familiar or mysterious way
- wildcard: an athlete or team that enters a tournament or playoff without qualifying the normal way
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QUICK QUIZ
- Who did Cruz Hewitt play in the Wimbledon boys’ final?
- What was the final scorecard?
- When did Cruz’s dad Lleyton win the men’s title at Wimbledon?
- Who won Australia’s last junior grand slam title and in what year?
- When did we last claim a junior Wimbledon champion title and who won it?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.
Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science
2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
My Wimbledon junior hero
Write a letter to one of the Wimbledon junior athletes. Explain to them how proud you are of them, why they are a Wimbledon hero to you, and that you have noticed them. Your letter can be anonymous or you can personally sign it off.
Remember when writing a letter:
Start with a greeting: Dear Sir,
Then on a new line, write the body of the letter.
Finish with a closing: Kind regards,
And finally, sign the letter.
Try to include detail and emotion in the letter to connect with your target audience: your Wimbledon junior hero.