![\"Marc](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789946532_515_1fd9e8feb443a3c0e7ff1305e00989af6ff0ed64.png\")
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September 21, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Lleyton Hewitt says Australian tennis is struggling.<\/p>\n The man who oversees the country\u2019s development and performance pathway begs to differ \u2013 but would welcome more involvement from the former world No.1.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s indifferent results on the global, and particularly grand slam, stage are again in the spotlight after Hewitt\u2019s frank comments on Friday ahead of a rare Davis Cup tie in Brisbane against Poland.<\/p>\n Alexei Popyrin\u2019s dramatic fall from grace, on top of ranking tumbles from Maya Joint and Daria Kasatkina, means top-10 star and seven-time major quarter-finalist Alex de Minaur is Australia\u2019s sole player in the top 50 on the men\u2019s and women\u2019s side.<\/p>\n That figure trails the other grand slam nations \u2013 France (six), Great Britain (two) and United States (15) \u2013 with the asterisk that Australia\u2019s population is far smaller, and it is much further away from the heart of the tour.<\/p>\n Hewitt was the last Australian man to win a grand slam singles title in 2002, but the US (Andy Roddick in 2003) and France (Yannick Noah in 1983) are also enduring significant droughts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re struggling at the moment,\u201d Hewitt said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt about that, just with the numbers coming through, so it\u2019s something that\u2019s definitely got to be looked at \u2026 we should be doing a lot better than we are.\u201d<\/p>\n De Minaur was the hero again with two singles victories over Poland this past weekend, but even he has endured an underwhelming season by his standards. His top-10 ranking is under threat, and he is unlikely to qualify for this year\u2019s ATP Finals in Turin.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re struggling at the moment. There\u2019s no doubt about that, just with the numbers coming through, so it\u2019s something that\u2019s definitely got to be looked at \u2026 we should be doing a lot better than we are.\u201d<\/p>\n Lleyton Hewitt<\/p>\n However, Tennis Australia\u2019s chief strategy and performance officer, Tim Jolley, told this masthead that he remained optimistic about the state of the sport in this country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always want more players,\u201d Jolley said, \u201cbut other than a couple of magnificent years from Ash [Barty], Australian tennis is in its best shape for 20 years, and the momentum and trajectory are positive.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2025, we had 14 players have a top-100 ranking in the calendar year, which is the most we\u2019ve had since 1989, and this year, we\u2019re on track to match that \u2013 and possibly one better if Emerson [Jones, or Dane Sweeny] can go top 100.\u201d<\/p>\n Jolley said he spoke regularly with Hewitt, whose 17-year-old son Cruz made the Wimbledon boys\u2019 final and is Australia\u2019s brightest men\u2019s prospect.<\/p>\n Cruz has been part of TA\u2019s national academy, and coached by Wayne Arthurs, since after last year\u2019s US Open.<\/p>\n But Hewitt appeared to distance himself on Friday from the development of Australia\u2019s next generation \u2013 outside his own son \u2013 saying his job and focus was leading the country\u2019s Davis Cup squad.<\/p>\n \u201cLleyton\u2019s primary role is the overall development and management of the Davis Cup team, which is a very important role in Australian tennis,\u201d Jolley said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does have a role in the Tennis Australia pathway, and we don\u2019t put constraints on how Lleyton can be involved in the pathway. Someone with his accomplishments, experience and understanding of tennis has the freedom to invest his time [however he wants].\u201d<\/p>\n France\u2019s Moise Kouame is the only 17-year-old higher in the ATP rankings than Cruz Hewitt, but there are no other top Australian prospects in his age bracket, or even slightly older, which Jolley conceded.<\/p>\n But TA\u2019s performance boss was bullish about a younger men\u2019s group coming through.<\/p>\n Ethan Domingo, Taiki Takizawa and Har Abir Sekhon combined in May to qualify Australia for the Junior Davis Cup finals for the first time since 2022, while Novak Palombo led Australia to a third placing in last month\u2019s 14-and-under World Junior Tennis finals.<\/p>\n Whether any of that group graduates as a top-line prospect to the ATP Tour is years away from fruition, but a talented crop of Australian women are already making their mark.<\/p>\n Joint, who broke into the top 30 in February, has arrested a multi-month slump and beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon, while Talia Gibson, 22, beat five top-20 opponents in March<\/a> to charge into the top 60, and 20-year-old Taylah Preston became Australia\u2019s newest top-100 player on US Open eve<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former junior world No.1 Emerson Jones, a two-time girls\u2019 slam finalist, is still only 18 but on the cusp of her top-100 debut.<\/p>\n![\"Strong](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c35e3715a9f710805bb210c681e52ffcae712b8e.jpeg\")
Strong thoughts: Australia\u2019s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Lleyton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/14c19e6063bcd2a1b1f7bdbc61ba0f4a603fc071.jpeg\")
Lleyton Hewitt.Getty Images<\/p>\n
![\"Lleyton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/09f6aa71c5fab2d7ec54e554f8999f3d467f76ce.jpeg\")
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