Cruz Hewitt handed wildcard into Australian Open qualifying
Cruz Hewitt has the chance to emulate his famous father after he was handed a wildcard into qualifying for the Australian Open.
The 16-year-old is one of several players given wildcards into the qualifying tournament, from which 16 players from each competition will make it onto the main draw.
Hewitt is ranked outside the top 1000.
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Cruz Hewitt in action during the 2024 Australian Open junior singles competition. Getty
Lleyton made his Australian Open main draw debut in 1997 aged just 15 via a qualifying wild card and would go on to win two grand slams and reach world No.1 status.
He's since been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2021 and is currently Australia's Davis Cup captain.
Overlooked for a main draw wildcard, Bernard Tomic will also play in the qualifying tournament as he hopes to make his first grand slam main draw since 2021.
Two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep, on the comeback trail from a drug suspension is another to receive a wildcard.
Halep, a 33-year-old from Romania, was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018 and won major titles at Roland-Garros later that year and at Wimbledon in 2019. She has been ranked as high as No.1 but is currently 877th.
Bernard Tomic will also play in the Australian Open qualifying tournament. Kelly Defina via Getty Images
She hasn't played at any grand slam since 2022 after as she served an 18-month drug ban.
Other men who got wildcards include 2023 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Chris Eubanks and former top 25 player Dan Evans.
The women's group includes Paris Olympics doubles gold medalist and 2012 French Open singles runner-up Sara Errani and top 20 players Petra Martic and Ana Konjuh.
Main-draw action begins at Melbourne Park on January 12.
