NEW YORK—Lleyton Hewitt cheered from the stands Tuesday night as one young Australian took the court in the U.S. Open.
On Thursday, the two-time major champion will be across the net from another. The 34-year-old Hewitt has served as a mentor to his country's up-and-coming players as his career nears its end, so he cringes to see them pop up in his draw.
''Just awkward,'' Hewitt said about facing 22-year-old Bernard Tomic in the second round. ''That's the only thing to summarize that. I get along great with Bernie. Helped him out a lot. Hit with him this week.''
Hewitt, the 2001 U.S. Open champ, is playing the tournament for the last time. He plans to retire after the Australian Open, but first, he'll lead his country into the Davis Cup semifinals against Britain starting Sept. 18.
Hewitt could reach the third round of a major for the first time since the 2013 U.S. Open, but it would mean beating the 24th-seeded Tomic in their first meeting.
''For me, in the position that I'm in now, trying to help these guys especially with Davis Cup and the rest of it, it's tough,'' said Hewitt, who is ranked 166th and got in with a wild card.
On Tuesday, Hewitt watched as 20-year-old Nick Kyrgios lost to third-seeded Andy Murray in the first round. The young Australians have had their share of off-the-court troubles. For a few hours Thursday, the focus will be on the court for a matchup between the country's tennis hopes past and future - with Tomic seeking to reach the U.S. Open third round for the first time.
"I look up to him a lot. He is a legend to me, to a lot of people around the world," said Tomic. "We have played so many times in practice and it is fun always to play Lleyton. It is an opportunity for me to make my first third round in the US Open.
"Win or lose, we have to have fun, go for it. He has nothing to lose. He is going to be going for it, so for me, it is going to be more tough."
Asked if he would experience guilt at being the one to provide Hewitt's US Open send off, Tomic said, "I would, but he can also beat me."
Reporting from the Associated Press and Kamakshi Tandon.