Australia’s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has been handed two week suspension and fine after being found to have pushed a 60-year-old anti-doping volunteer at an event last year.
Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam champion, was charged in January by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for engaging in offensive conduct towards a doping[1] control official.
The Australian team captain, 44, was accused of pushing the anti-doping chaperone following their semi-final defeat by Italy at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga last November.
The incident occurred as Hewitt followed an Australian player off court following the defeat.
Hewitt denied the charge, citing self-defence, after being ‘bumped into’ by the chaperone. As part of his defence, Hewitt stated he had been recovering from a medical condition at the time and was concerned by potential further contact, while adding he did not know who of the chaperone was.
An independent tribunal accepted his view of how the incident occurred, but concluded ‘the contact ‘could not have been so significant as to justify such a strong response’, with the panel upholding the charge of offensive conduct.
Lleyton Hewitt has been fined and suspended for pushing a 60-year-old anti-doping official
The Australian captain was sanctioned following an incident at the Davis Cup finals last year
The chair of the independent tribunal stated that Hewitt’s actions ‘did not meet the requirements of self-defence’, and that his behaviour was ‘not reasonable and proportionate.’
Hewitt was suspended for two weeks and fined £14,600. The sanction was suspended by the chair to not be ‘unduly punitive’ on his Davis Cup schedule while allowing him the opportunity to appeal.
His suspension will run from September 24 to October 7, allowing him to serve as Australia’s captain for their Davis Cup tie against Belgium. The tie will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with Hewitt overseeing the team’s training this week.
The tribunal noted that Hewitt holds a mentor or advisory role in connection with his captaincy position. His suspension will run through the Japan Open and part of the Shanghai Masters, two events he reportedly planned to be involved in.
Hewitt is unable to take part in all tennis-related activities including coaching, mentoring, playing, captaincy and other associated roles during his suspension.
The ITIA stated that Hewitt has not lodged an appeal against the decision to date.
‘Anti-doping personnel play a fundamental role behind the scenes in upholding the integrity of tennis, and they should be able to go about their roles without fear of physical contact,’ said Karen Moorhouse, ITIA chief executive.
‘In this case, that line was clearly crossed, and we had no other option but to take action.’
Hewitt appeared a Davis Cup media day on Wednesday ahead of his sanction being announced
The Australian legend won the Wimbledon title in 2002, one of his two Grand Slam singles titles
Hewitt has served as Australia’s Davis Cup captain since 2016, following his decision to retire from professional tennis.
He was crowned US Open champion in 2001 and won Wimbledon the following year, but suffered defeats in his other two Grand Slam singles finals.
The former world No 1 won the Davis Cup twice in his career, with Australia triumphing in 1999 and 2003.
His son Cruz, 16, has has competed in the junior events at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open this year.