Nick Kyrgios drops 1-word reaction to Lleyton Hewitt's son Cruz's failed Australian Open campaign after Jannik Sinner drama

Nick Kyrgios reacted to Lleyton Hewitt's 16-year-old son Cruz's Australian Open qualifying campaign after the controversy involving Jannik Sinner. Cruz showed potential in his debut in Melbourne but was ousted in the first round of qualifying.

Taking to Instagram, Cruz shared a carousel of images from his outing on Tuesday, January 7, in the first round of Australian Open qualifying. The 16-year-old faced Nikoloz Basilashvili and was defeated 1-6, 4-6 in 73 minutes. He captioned the post:

"Unbelievable experience playing my first men’s grand slam. super grateful for the opportunity @tennisaustralia @australianopen we getting ready for next week now," Cruz wrote.

Kyrgios commented on the post:

"Tuffffffffffff ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️"

Nick Kyrgios' comment on Cruz Hewitt's post| Instagram @cruzhewitt

The 29-year-old's remarks on Cruz's post come just days after he sparked controversy by commenting on the youngster's earlier post with Jannik Sinner. Kyrgios, who has made several disparaging comments about the Italian following his doping saga, launched another critique in Cruz's comment section.

Cruz took to Instagram on January 4 to share images from his practice session with the World No. 1 ahead of the Australian Open. Kyrgios commented on the post:

"Love ya Cruz but this is wild 😢"

"Thought we were boys 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔"

"Cooked post 💉"

Nick Kyrgios' comments on Cruz Hewitt's post with Jannik Sinner | Instagram @cruzhewitt

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Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs tears into Nick Kyrgios for involving Cruz Hewitt in his feud with Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner training ahead of the 2025 Australian Open - Source: Getty

Jannik Sinner tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug called Clostebol twice in March. The news about these failed drug tests was made public in August and Nick Kyrgios has continued to launch verbal attacks against the Italian since.

When the Aussie involved 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt in the feud, Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs did not hold back. During a discussion about the topic on her podcast, Stubbs slammed Kyrgios for "embarrassing" Cruz. The 29-year-old had defended himself after making those comments by claiming that they were a "joke" but Stubbs was unconvinced.

"To give the guy sh*t on social media and go after him. It's not a joke. If you want to joke about it, then you call his dad or you call him, because I'm pretty sure you have either of their numbers, and you give him sh*t. You don't give him sh*t on a public forum, that's embarrassing to him. He just doesn't know how to stop and learn to be an adult in these situations," she said.

Currently, Sinner and Kyrgios are set to participate in the 2025 Australian Open. The World No. 1 and defending champion will take on Nicolas Jarry in the first round while Kyrgios, who will play the Melbourne Slam after missing the last two editions will face Jacob Fearnley.