‘C’mon’: Cheeky celebration mocks Aussie great after son’s frustrating Wimbledon loss

Cruz Hewitt’s maiden Wimbledon junior campaign has ended in the second round with the son of Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt losing 6-3, 6-0 to Finland’s 11th seed Oskari Paldanius.

The 16-year-old Australian, who is ranked 45th in the world junior standings, was hailed for being a “carbon copy” of his two-time grand slam winning father after his first round victory, but found the going much tougher this time out at the All England Club.

Cruz was overpowered by 18-year-old Paldanius, who appeared to mock Lleyton’s famous ‘c’mon’ celebration before walking to the net to the shake hands when the match was over.

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The Finn’s cheeky gesture rubbed salt into the wounds for Cruz after a disappointing outing.

The Daily Mail reported that the youngster directed his frustrations towards his father, who was watching courtside as well as offering words of advice and encouragement, as the match slipped through his grasp.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 08: Cruz Hewitt of Australia reacts against Oskari Paldanius of Finland during the Boy's Singles second round match on day nine of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

According to his ATP profile, Cruz is coached by former Australian professional Peter Luczak, who worked with Lleyton late in his career, but the junior Hewitt was reportedly displeased with his father’s pointers from the sidelines.

The Daily Mail report alleged that Cruz accused Lleyton of “acting for the cameras” at one point, before snappily replying, “I tried that!”, to a suggested change in approach from his father.

During the second set, in which he did not win a game, Cruz’s team reportedly told him “everything was fine” to try calm down the teenager, but he replied, “it’s not fine, it’s nearly four-love!”.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 06: Lleyton Hewitt, former tennis player, supports Cruz Hewitt of Australia as he plays against Savva Rybkin during the Boy's Singles first round match on day seven of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 06, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

The loss to a higher-ranked player, who is two years older, is no disaster for Cruz.

But it will be a learning moment for the youngster, who made waves on social media during the Australian Open for practising with the likes of Jannik Sinner.

Cruz picked up his first junior grand slam win at Melbourne Park this year, where he also received a wildcard into qualifying for the main draw but was beaten by former world No.16 Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round.

He was knocked out in the first round of the boys French Open last month after coming through qualifying, but has a 17-9 record in junior tournaments so far this year.

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