Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt is returning to the court to play doubles alongside his son, Cruz, at an ATP Challenger event this week.
Cruz, who turns 17 next month, is steadily advancing through the professional ranks and recently claimed his first singles win on the Challenger tour in Brisbane.
He will take to the singles court again in Sydney on Tuesday, ahead of a pivotal moment for the family when he joins his father for doubles.
Hewitt, now 44, was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame on Monday night, recognising his remarkable achievements spanning from the early 2000s onward.
But even before the celebratory event, a comeback was already in the works.
The pair appeared in the official draw on Monday as wildcard entrants, set to face fellow Australians Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov in their opening match.
Hewitt originally retired in 2016, although he made a brief return to the doubles circuit in 2018 and 2019, before one last stint on home soil in 2020.
That summer, he partnered with Jordan Thompson in both Adelaide and the Australian Open, falling in the first round each time.
Now, six years later, and in his role as Australia’s Davis Cup captain, Hewitt has been convinced to return by the chance to partner with his son.
Cruz will also face seasoned Aussie Omar Jasika in the first round of singles on Tuesday.
Hewitt’s return comes after he recently revealed how close he once came to leaving tennis entirely in pursuit of his childhood sporting passion.
By 2003, he had already reached world No.1 and won both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years.
But after a first-round Wimbledon exit and losing his top ranking, Hewitt considered his options.
Former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams has previously said Hewitt reached out about switching codes, but the tennis star claims it was Williams who initiated the conversation.
There were even discussions about Hewitt playing a pre-season match and joining Port Adelaide as a rookie-listed player.
“I grew up absolutely hating the Power, the Port Adelaide Magpies,” he said.
“But at the time, I was actually considering it. I didn’t love the contract and the money.
“He (Williams) ended up giving me a few weeks to think about it.”
The turning point came in the 2003 Davis Cup semi-final, when Hewitt staged a remarkable comeback from two sets down to defeat Roger Federer.
“It was one of my greatest victories and I called Choco (Williams) and said ‘no’,” Hewitt said.
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