By ED CARRUTHERS, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA and ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 04:20 EST, 19 November 2025 | Updated: 04:51 EST, 19 November 2025

Two-time Grand Slam Champion Lleyton Hewitt, 44, has come out of retirement to partner up with his son Cruz at a doubles event in Sydney. 

His return, after a five-year absence, was short-lived, after he and Cruz thumped fellow Australians Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov 6-1, 6-0 at the New South Wales Open. 

The Challenger Tour match at the Ken Rosewall Arena took just 46 minutes.

Lleyton, the current Davis Cup captain for Australia, played his last competitive singles match at the 2016 Australian Open, but continued to play doubles up until 2020. 

And the 44-year-old, who recently revealed that he had even thought about giving up tennis to play Australian rules football during his career, looked like he’d never been away from the court, with the former Wimbledon and US Open champion dashing his way from tramline to tramline, before producing a perfectly weighted backhand slice to win the match. 

Lleyton Hewitt and his son Cruz (pictured) sealed their first win together as a doubles partnership at the New South Wales Open

Lleyton Hewitt and his son Cruz (pictured) sealed their first win together as a doubles partnership at the New South Wales Open

The two-time Grand Slam winner (pictured) stopped playing competitive doubles in 2020 Cruz (pictured) has been rising through the ranks on the Challenger Tour

Lleyton’s (left) return after a five-year absence, was short-lived, after he and Cruz thumped fellow Australians Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov 6-1, 6-0

Cruz is one of three children Hewitt (left) has with his wife, former Australian actress Bec Hewitt (right)

Cruz is one of three children Hewitt (left) has with his wife, former Australian actress Bec Hewitt (right)

Cruz is one of three children Hewitt has with his wife, former Australian actress Bec Hewitt. 

While he enjoyed a brilliant doubles outing alongside his dad, it was, overall, a tough day for the 16-year-old, who had been granted a wildcard to compete in the singles event. 

Cruz came up against qualifier Hayato Matsuoka of Japan, but suffered a 7-5, 3-6, 5-7 defeat. 

He and Cruz fist-bumped each other and shared a big embrace after claiming the victory, despite the youngster having previously fumed at him after he was knocked out of the boys singles at Wimbledon. 

Hewitt is currently ranked No 759 on the ATP Tour and despite his previous struggles on the Challenger Tour, had a breakthrough moment at the recent M25 Event in Brisbane. 

He advanced to the semi-finals of the event, but was agonisingly knocked out of the tournament by world No 215, David Sweeney. 

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Lleyton Hewitt, 44, comes out of retirement and puts on a clinic alongside his son, Cruz, who fumed at him