Alex de Minaur did not need to rub his crystal ball for a glimpse into the future, for he had already seen enough from Cruz Hewitt prior to their first encounter in Washington D.C overnight to know what lay ahead.
As he told the talented teenager, who is the son of former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt, after winning their first mentor-protege clash 6-2 6-3, they would be playing each other “for the next 10 years of our lives”.
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The pair walked off arm-in-arm after the second round encounter that serves as the biggest match of Hewitt’s fledgling career given the level of the match and the man he was pitted against.
Importantly, while he started nervously when dropping the first five games, after settling in to the centre court stage Hewitt Jnr showed he was not overawed by the occasion.
But de Minaur had a message for those hoping for a swift rise from the Sydneysider, noting it was important to let him mature at “his own pace”.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Cruz, and I think he’s always been a great kid. He’s loved tennis – and I can’t say this enough – the way he’s handling the spotlight, the pressure, the expectations of being who he is, (is great),” de Minaur said.
“Even after a week like this one, right? There’s going to be even more pressure and expectation, but I think the whole world should let him develop at his own pace.”
Whenever they have practised together at grand slams during the years, including most recently leading into Wimbledon, their sessions have been intense, a junior on the rise trying to make sure he does enough to satisfy a senior there for business.
It was a similar case in their first proper meeting and de Minaur, the defending champion in the American capital, was determined not to give the aspiring Aussie a sniff in a strong opening set in which he broke the 17-year-old three times.
The second set was tighter as Hewitt, who will jump almost 250 spots to a ranking in the 360s, fought hard to hold on to his serve against the world No.5, but he was unable to make any inroads when succumbing in straight sets in just over an hour.
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“It was definitely weird. I knew I was going to play him on the Tour some day, but I didn’t actually expect it to be this week,” De Minaur said in his on-court interview.
“It was an amazing feeling. Even all the lead up, seeing all the incredible pictures that we have together and how we’ve both grown up. I’m glad I managed to get through, but I’m sure we’re going to have many battles in the years to come.”
The all-Aussie clash prompted an overflow of memories in de Minaur, who has been a regular at the Christmas table of the Hewitts over the past decade after his mum Esther and his younger siblings moved back to Spain.
Their meeting prompted an avalanche of photographs of the pair over more than a decade, including one dating back to a Newcombe Medal Award ceremony when the seven-time quarterfinalist was still too young to be shaving.
“The lead-up, seeing all the photos, all the memories, thinking of all the time we spent together,” de Minaur said.
“I couldn’t help but ultimately be excited for it, right? I think that definitely helped me.”
But de Minaur, who faces American Brandon Nakashima in a quarterfinal on Saturday morning, AEST, said there was an awkwardness. The Hewitts, after all, have been in the stands for many of his biggest grand slam matches as a supporter.
“I think all of us as a collective were kind of, like, didn’t really know how to kind of act, right? Because it’s the first time we’ve been in that position,” he said.
Hewitt, who now has an ATP Tour win to his name after victory over tough American Marcos Giron in the opening round, said he treasured the experience.
“That was a very special match, special moment I think for both of us. I’ve looked up to him my whole life pretty much, seen him play so many times, practised together,” Hewitt said.
“He’s like my brother, so it was special to share the court.”