Sad reveal about Lleyton and Bec Hewitt after bittersweet $6 million move comes to light
The Australian legend and his wife are doing their bit to help son Cruz further his tennis career.
Lleyton Hewitt and wife Bec have put their Burleigh Heads home on the market, after moving to Queensland in 2021 in what was believed to be designed around furthering son Cruz's tennis career. The home on the Gold Coast is expected to fetch around $6 million, after the Hewitts purchased it three years ago for $4.3m.
Carol Carter of Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty said the Hewitts loved spending time at Burleigh Heads but never got to enjoy the home because of their busy schedules. “That’s the problem,” she told the Courier Mail. “They just don’t have time to enjoy it.”
The family moved to the Gold Coast from Victoria in 2021, but have since relocated back to Sydney after buying a resort-style mansion in Glenhaven for $10 million. They previously lived in neighbouring suburb Kenthurst in the leafy Hills District in north-west Sydney.
The move to Burleigh Heads in 2021 was believed to be centred around helping Cruz and his burgeoning tennis career. The 15-year-old is following in his famous father's footsteps and trying to forge a career of his own, and has won a number of tournaments on the ITF (International Tennis Federation) junior circuit.
The move to the Gold Coast was said to be designed around the KDV tennis academy in Carrara, where Cruz could train. The $20 million facility was built in 2016 by Russian tycoon Denis Shtengelov and features a mix of hard and clay courts.
"It's understood Cruz's dad Lleyton was drawn to the Coast's many sprawling tennis centres - made up of a mix of grass, clay and hardcourt surfaces - as well as the multi-million dollar 'champion factory' KDV tennis academy located in Carrara," the Daily Mail reported at the time.
"The state-of-the-art centre - which includes 20 courts, hotel accommodation, gyms, a pool and driving range - will serve as a makeshift base for Team Hewitt as Cruz continues his rise through the international junior ranks." A 'local insider' said at the time: "The move is very much a sign that the Hewitts are getting progressively more serious about Cruz's potential as a future world top-10 player."
Cruz Hewitt's blossoming tennis career gathering steam
Whether those reports were accurate remains to be seen, but there's no doubt Cruz has come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years. He was granted a wildcard into the Australian Open junior boys tournament in January, in what marked the biggest match of his career to date.
He was also selected in the Australia's junior Davis Cup team, and shadowed the senior team when they played in the group stage of the team event last month. In August, the 15-year-old Cruz won the NSW Junior Open in Sydney, which was the second ITF tournament he won on the trot.
At that point Cruz had now won nine matches in a row and gained some valuable big-match experience that appeared to be lacking when he played at the Australian Open. Cruz didn't drop a single set as he claimed the NSW Open title - the sixth of his career on the ITF circuit (the level below the ATP Tour).
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Speaking at the Australian Open in January, Lleyton said: "I'm just unbelievably proud, to be honest. It's just a really special moment, my first ever main draw match at the Australian Open was actually out on Show Court 3 as well.
"He's been around the traps, but he's worked extremely hard to get this opportunity. He is playing well, but he is still very young. This is all a learning experience and that's what the junior event is all about."
