By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville
17-year-old tennis player Cruz Hewitt wins his first ATP Tour match against Marcos Giron in Washington, DC.
Cruz is the son of former tennis player Lleyton Hewitt. Talent runs in the family. Like father, like son! Cruz won 6-3, 6-4 in the first round on Tuesday. Hewitt is the youngest player to win a match at the Washington tournament since 2007.
“Seeing my dad play in this tournament and to get my first tour win here, I know it feels pretty cool,” Hewitt said.
One of the things that the father and son have in common is their celebration when they win a point and a tournament. Hewitt is at the beginning of his career. He’s going to take one match at a time. It must be surreal for the family to see the tradition continue. It’s one thing to follow the parents’ footsteps, but earning wins is even more remarkable.
“I’m grateful to be where I am today,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt has surrounded himself with more experienced tennis players. He’s grateful to everyone who has been there for him, and the tennis players have been generous with him. As for getting advice from his father, this is what Hewitt had to say.
“I try to listen,” Hewitt said. “I feel like I wasn’t listening well maybe a few years ago, but I’m slowly getting better as I mature.”
Hewitt responded because he’s a teenager, and we know how most teenagers tend to blow off their parents’ advice. Hewitt was honest, and hopefully he has a long-term career in tennis.
As of today, two days after earning his first win on tour, Hewitt lost to Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-3. It wasn’t a strong competitive match, but there’s a silver lining for Hewitt. He will gain 244 spots in the rankings and enter the top 400.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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