For the offspring of sport stars who aim to carve a name for themselves in the sport that made their parent famous, the hype usually arrives before the results.
And in most cases, the results never catch up because the hype train is too loud and comparisons are undying.
Cruz Hewitt. Getty Images
The discourse around Cruz Hewitt for the past week at Wimbledon has been building amid a hot run to the semi-finals of the junior tournament without losing a set.
Would we be as compelled to follow along if it were another Australian in the same position? Probably not. There have been several junior grand slam champions who have not experienced the same success at the next level. They rarely do.
The name Hewitt holds weight for obvious reasons in Australian sport, and most observers are tuning in on a tabloid level. They might be more interested in mannerisms than volleys at the net, but the truth is the 17-year-old’s form at the All England Club has gained some steam in the public sphere.
Whether he wins the title at the All England Club or not, Tennis Australia officials are rubbing their hands with glee.
A victory in Friday’s semi-final against Dutch 11th-seed Thijs Boogaard will make Hewitt the first Australian to make the boys’ final since Alex de Minaur 10 years ago.
He has already surpassed his dad Lleyton‘s best finish in the junior event of a last-16 place back in 1997 and is gunning to be the first Australian boys’ champ since Luke Saville in 2011.
With that comes the expectation that he could be the next big thing in Australian tennis.
The attention around the teenager at Wimbledon is not the kind a normal junior player would receive. Roger Federer’s twin daughters have attended his matches and several Australian fans have made the effort to support him, along with his parents and team.
Speaking to Stan Sport after his quarter-final win, Hewitt said he had spoken to a psychologist at Tennis Australia in a bid to help him prepare for the ATP Tour.
Rising French star Moise Kouame is the only player his age ranked higher than the 17-year-old, making him currently the world’s second-highest-ranked player in his age group.
“You have to remember there’s a fair bit of pressure. I can’t imagine the pressure that Cruz would face having,” former Aussie player John Millman told nine.com.au.
Hewitt poses for a photo with fans. Getty Images
“The father who was a former world number one and multiple grand slam winner. There’s pressure, but also there’s the added benefit. I think it works both ways.
“But overall, Cruz has got an incredible amount of upside in what, to be fair, is a pretty bleak period for junior talent currently, in Australia.
“We don’t really have too many players. So it’s great to see Cruz flying the flag, and hopefully, some of our young ones can follow in his footsteps because it’s gonna be really important for tennis moving forward.”
This time last year, Hewitt had a tough time at Wimbledon. During a loss, he was seen arguing with his father on court and his opponent mocked his dad’s famous celebration.
But this year it seems to be a different ball game. Standing at 185cm, the teen looks more filled out and is playing with more confidence and authority.
He told Stan Sport he was most proud of his mental approach during the final eight win.
Yet, he has not been tested at all during the tournament, winning every set he’s played. How he performs when the chips are down will be telling. Millman is confident he’ll rise to the challenge and believes Hewitt is the top contender to lift the trophy.
Hewitt will play Friday night. Getty Images
“He definitely has a genuine chance to win Wimbledon juniors. Going into the tournament, I actually thought that he was the best player on grass,” Millman said.
“He’s probably had the most experience on the surface, and his game really suits it. He likes to get forward, attacking flat balls, the forehand and backhand wing, and he moves well on the surface.
“His game’s improving a lot. I’ve seen huge growth and improvement. I’ve known Cruz since he was a young kid and he’s come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years.”
Millman pointed to the influence of coach Wayne Arthurs and the amount of trust Lleyton and Cruz have in him.
“He’s one of Australia’s best coaches and he’s quite a calming presence on the sideline, and a lot of the time with some of these juniors, that’s really, really valuable,” Millman said.
“Wayne, when he played, he was a guy that got forward a lot, used his volleys, and you can definitely see that now with Cruz.”
Wimbledon is the only junior tournament the young Aussie will play in this year as he amasses invaluable experience on the ITF Futures and ATP Challenger tours, including an appearance in the Australian Pro Tour final in Wodonga, on grass, earlier in 2026.
After his quarter-final win Hewitt credited the work he’d done with a Tennis Australia psychologist, helping him keep a lid on his emotions.
No.11 seed Boogaard, has also been honing his game at the next level. He currently sits at No.525 in the world, more than halving his ranking in 2026.
And like Hewitt, he will have a former Wimbledon winner in his corner, 1996 champion and fellow Dutchman Richard Krajicek.
The match will air on Stan Sport at 9.10pm AEST on Friday night.
