Cruz Hewitt, the son of Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt, will get a chance at competing in his first grand slam, after the 16-year-old was handed a wildcard for the qualifying rounds. It comes 27 years after his father qualified for the first time as a 15-year-old in 1997.
Cruz Hewitt gets the nod
Hewitt is currently ranked 107th in the world on the junior circuit. As well as trying to qualify for the senior Australian Open, he is likely to play in the junior tournament too. This year, Hewitt was knocked out in the first round against the world’s 10th ranked junior player.
Regarding the inevitable comparisons to his father, Cruz said earlier this month: “It is what it is, but I don’t really mind. It just drives me to be better.”
Simona Halep’s comeback
Former world number one Simona Halep has also been handed a qualifying wildcard as she returns to the Grand Slam arena for the first time since 2022 following a doping ban. Earlier this year, the Romanian successfully appealed the original four-year ban she was issued for testing positive for a banned substance. Judges at the Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced her ban.
The two-time grand slam winner spent over a year and a half on the sidelines and has seen her ranking slip to 877th in the world. Halep said: “The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I’m very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity”.
Who else is trying to qualify?
On the men’s side, Cruz will be joined by ten other Australians including former world no.17 Bernard Tomic. The 32-year-old has reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park three times before. Meanwhile, 13 Australians are trying to qualify for the main draw of the women’s singles. That group is led by world no.113 Kimberley Birrell, whose best result at a grand slam came at the 2019 Australian Open where she made the third round.
When is the Australian Open on?
The qualifying rounds of the Australian Open will run between 6 and 9 January. The main draw will be contested from 12 January to 26 January.
