‘Don’t think I need to’: Hewitt won’t pick dad’s brain before Wimbledon final
Updated . First published
Cruz Hewitt says he won’t be seeking advice from his father about how to navigate a Wimbledon final, after scoring the biggest win of his career.
Hewitt has stormed into the Wimbledon boys singles final, becoming the first Australian to reach the junior final in a decade.
The 17-year-old extended his flawless tournament run with a 6-4, 6-4 straight-sets victory over the Netherlands’ Thijs Boogaard.
Cruz Hewitt is through to the Wimbledon final. Kin Cheung
Hewitt has been on an absolute tear at the All England Club, booking his spot in the championship match without dropping a single set.
His father, former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, was in the stands watching his son.
Hewitt himself won the men’s singles title on the grass at Wimbledon 24 years ago.
He’s now watching his son on the precipice of history. The last Australian to hoist the junior Wimbledon trophy was Luke Saville in 2011.
Alex de Minaur was the last Australian in a Wimbledon junior final, in 2016.
Speaking to Stan Sport, Hewitt said he felt more excitement than nerves ahead of the final-four clash against Boogaard.
Asked if he’d pick his father’s brain ahead of the final, the younger Hewitt was not so certain.
“I don’t think I need to worry about that. Maybe he’ll say something, but no, I’ll just leave it all out there. I think I’ll try and enjoy it as well,” Hewitt said.
There were moments throughout the match where Hewitt was tested by the Dutch player, leading to a break in serve more than once.
The younger Hewitt even showed some frustration by banging his racquet on his head at one point, but he emphasised how his mental strength got him through.
“I was taking my time a bit. I feel like I play one loose service game there, but I was very proud of how I broke straight back.
“I feel like I had one little moment where I let him kind of get back into the match, and then I flipped it straight back, and I felt like I got the momentum back.
“I think the last few months that has been a big thing that I worked on, and I was happy to see it work out there.”
When asked about his nerves going into the match, he added: “I was just eager to get out there. I was so excited to get out there, playing for a spot in the final. It was all excitement. I didn’t really have any nerves, which was good.
“I’ve been in the zone. I have one thing in my mind, and that’s to get the win, so, you know, we’ll see, one more.”
The youngster will play the championship match on Sunday AEST against 16-year-old American qualifier Jordan Lee.
