Next Gen: Cruz Hewitt Hangs with Federer Twins

By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Photo credit: James D. Morgan/Getty

Their famous fathers were rivals, and Cruz Hewitt and twins Myla and Charlene Federer are friends.

Cruz Hewitt, son of former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, watched Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open first-round win over Hugo Gaston seated next to Roger Federer’s daughters, Myla and Charlene.

Cruz Hewitt and compatriot James Duckworth received a doubles wild card and were set to play their AO first-round doubles match on Court 13 on Wednesday.

Devoted AO fans will remember 11 years ago when 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer hit some balls with the young Cruz Hewitt during an Aussie exo.

In an interview with Tennis Now last fall, Roger Federer called his win over Lleyton Hewitt in the 2004 US Open final one of the most important victories of his career and one of his greatest Grand Slam performances.

“I think it was a very important one because not only was he at his best, but I was at my best,” Federer told Tennis Now. “Also, Hewitt was kryptonite for me years before. I was having a really tough time against Lleyton. And I think for me to then overcome that and take my game to the next level and actually being able to really dominate that final was a bit of a shock to me.

“But it showed me that I’m on such an incredible trajectory right now to be able to do it in New York for the very first time. That was an incredible moment, definitely.”