Lleyton Hewitt’s life now – tears over wife, son out of Aus Open | Tennis | Sport
Lleyton Hewitt won two Grand Slams during his tennis career (Image: Clive Brunskill, Getty Images)
Lleyton Hewitt is poised to return to the Australian Open as he gears up for an all-star encounter. The 44-year-old is scheduled to participate in an exhibition doubles match alongside Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter on Saturday.
The Australian legend secured two Grand Slams during a stellar career that yielded 30 singles titles. Hewitt never managed to capture a major championship on home turf, losing to Marat Safin in the 2005 final. Though he stepped away from singles competition in 2016, the former Wimbledon and US Open champion recently returned to doubles action. He teamed up with his son Cruz at the NSW Open as a wildcard duo in November, impressively advancing to the quarter-finals. Here’s an insight into Hewitt’s personal life, including his marriage to wife Bec and his son’s burgeoning tennis career.
Tribute to wife
Hewitt initially met actress Bec Cartwright in 1999 but they didn’t start dating until late 2004. He proposed to the Home and Away star after his Australian Open final defeat, merely six weeks into their relationship.
Their wedding was held at the Sydney Opera House in July 2005 and they have three children. Having recently marked their 20th anniversary, Hewitt delivered a heartfelt tribute to his wife during his induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
“My beautiful supporting wife Bec. It’s not easy being a partner of a tennis player,” he said in November. “Tennis is a very individual sport.
“And you do have to be selfish at certain times to be able to perform on the big stage and do a lot of the things that are gonna give you the chance to have the best opportunity to perform and Bec’s travelled the world with us and it’s a grind, and especially with three young kids, we’ve had to move base and set up overseas.
Lleyton Hewitt and his wife Bec have been married since 2005 (Image: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images for International Tennis Hall of Fame)
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“And she’s done everything with grace and elegance and you’ve been the rock the whole time supporting me, and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to continue my career and be able to play 20 Australian Opens without you. So I’m eternally grateful and I love you so much. Thank you.”
Son at Australian Open
Both Lleyton and Bec were recently spotted in the crowd supporting their son Cruz as he attempted to secure qualification for the Australian Open. The 17-year-old was making his second bid to reach the main draw following his wildcard entry last year, when he fell at the first qualifying hurdle.
Sadly for Hewitt Jr and his parents, the promising youngster suffered defeat in the opening qualifying round for the second consecutive year. He was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Michael Zheng on Tuesday, with his American opponent offering some post-match praise.
Cruz Hewitt is aiming to follow in his dad’s footsteps (Image: Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
“He (Hewitt) returned really well on the games that he broke me,” Zheng said. “He was doing a good job attacking my second serve, but I just kept calm and tried to take it one point at a time.”
The teenager made it to the second round in the junior singles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2025, but he has yet to feature in a Grand Slam main draw. Cruz reached an ITF singles final at M25 Launceston last February and secured an ITF doubles title at M25 Tamworth in September.
Split from tennis star
Before tying the knot with his wife Bec, Lleyton was in a high-profile relationship with fellow tennis ace Kim Clijsters. Their love story began during the Australian Open in 2000 and they got engaged in December 2003, only to part ways less than a year later and call off their wedding.
Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters called off their engagement (Image: Getty)
However, there appears to be no lasting tension between them, with Clijsters acknowledging Hewitt’s role in improving her performance on the court.
In a 2022 interview on the Craig Shapiro Tennis podcast, Clijsters shared: “Being in a relationship with Lleyton (Hewitt) was something that, I learned a lot from him and from the coaches that he was working with. He worked with Darren Cahill, who, to me, is the greatest coach we have in our sport. Even Roger Rasheed. Just to be on court with those guys and to see how they approached Lleyton and how Lleyton worked, it was all a huge learning process for me as a young teenager.”
She added: “He (Hewitt) was very committed and focused, and just so professional. Now that I’m older, I realise how important that part of my life has been in my development in tennis. The effort, the patience.”
