Son of Wimbledon champion snaps at dad – ‘acting for the cameras’ | Tennis | Sport
Cruz Hewitt, son of 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, won his first match at SW19 on his debut in the first round of the boys’ competition. However, joy soon turned to anger as he let rip at his father on the side of the court and reportedly accused him of “acting for the cameras.”
Cruz, 16, was defeated in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday morning by Finland’s 11th seed Oskari Paldanius. At rubbing salt into the wounds, Paldanius appeared to copy his father’s iconic ‘come on’ celebration after sealing victory.
Lleyton watched his son in the second round but his presence appeared to be a source of frustration for Cruz. He accused his father of “acting for the cameras” as he tried to provide some inspiration during the match, according to the Daily Mail.
After being given another piece of advice, Cruz walked away and shook his head. In the second set, after firing a strong forehand winner, the teenager turned to his dad and pointed to his chest.
Cruz also hit back at his father when given some more pointers, telling him: “I tried that!”
His team tried to assure him that everything was OK while he faced break point at 3-0 down in the second set, but Hewitt Jr replied: “It’s not fine, it’s nearly four-love!”
The scenes marked a huge contrast from Cruz’s opening match, where he was roared on by his dad in a 6-1 6-2 victory over Russian rising star Savva Rybkin.
Lleyton was, once again, courtside to cheer his son on and could similarly be heard shouting words of encouragement. They were more well-received on this occasion, however, as Cruz spoke out about having his dad nearby for a historic moment in Wimbledon history.
“Dad was proud, it was great to have him there,” Cruz told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It was a great feeling.
“I’ve watched my dad play here for many years, and I’ve always wanted to play on these courts, so I was enjoying every moment.
“He just said: ‘Now you can finally play on the courts and enjoy it’, so it was a great day. There is nothing you can do about [who your dad is].
“It’s a little tough, but there are pros and cons, and you’ve just got to focus on the positives that come with it, so that’s what I try and do.”
On Wednesday, Lleyton’s gentlemen’s invitational doubles match, where he was scheduled to play alongside Mark Philippoussis and against James Blake and Sam Querrey, was cancelled.
