Alex de Minaur played Cruz Hewitt for the first time this week and said it felt “weird” to face the youngster.
That’s because the pair are very familiar with each other thanks to an incredible gesture from Lleyton and Bec Hewitt several years ago.
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De Minaur, who won the clash in Washington D.C. 6-2 6-3 in just over an hour, warmly embraced Cruz at the end of the match.
The pair go way back thanks to the older Hewitt inviting De Minaur into the family home when he was just beginning his own tennis career.
De Minaur lived with Hewitt in Sydney and Melbourne when he returned to Australia from Spain as a teenager – a move Demon said he owes everything to.
“It was great to just have that inside advice all the time and get [Lleyton’s] thoughts on everything,” De Minaur said.
“I stayed with him in Sydney and also at his place in Melbourne.
“At the French Open in the juniors, he came out and we had a nice chat and told me that he would be very supportive of everything I needed.
“It’s been unbelievable the amount of stuff he’s done for me. I couldn’t be more grateful.
“I spent time with his family and we went out with the family for dinner together … it was nice.”
Cruz is now seeking to follow in De Minaur’s footsteps after winning his first ATP tie at the Mubadala DC Open aged 17-years-old.
Demon expects their paths will cross in the future, revealing it felt strange to be playing the youngster so early in his career.
“It was definitely weird,” de Minaur said. “I knew I was going to play him on the tour some day, but I didn’t actually expect it to be this week. It was an amazing feeling.
“Even all the lead up, seeing all the incredible pictures that we have together and how we’ve 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.”