The Australian Davis Cup team’s leader, Lleyton Hewitt, has been given a two-week suspension and a penalty of 30,000 Australian dollars (equivalent to £14,600) after being judged to have physically contacted a doping control official.
Hewitt made contact with a 60-year-old volunteer involved in anti-doping procedures following Australia’s defeat by Italy in the Davis Cup semi-final last year, which took place in Malaga, Spain, in November.
The former Grand Slam singles champion faced accusations in January related to improper behavior towards an official responsible for doping control.
He refuted the accusation, which was initiated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) following examination of video evidence, testimonies from witnesses, and interviews, claiming it was an act of self-preservation.
However, the ITIA verified on Wednesday that an independent panel supported the accusation, stating that the 44-year-old’s actions “did not align with self-defense requirements,” and the contact was “excessive or disproportionate.”
Hewitt is prohibited from participating in “all activities related to tennis” from September 24th to October 7th.
He is still permitted to manage Australia when they play Belgium in the second round of the Davis Cup qualifiers, scheduled for September 13-14 in Sydney.
Michael Heron, who chaired the tribunal, mentioned that they aimed to prevent the suspension from being “unduly harsh” on Hewitt by affecting his Davis Cup involvement.
Hewitt, who was victorious in the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, has the option to contest the decision, but the ITIA has confirmed that no appeal has been filed yet.
Karen Moorhouse, the CEO of ITIA, stated that “Anti-doping staff perform a crucial function behind the scenes to protect the honesty of tennis, and they should be able to carry out their duties without concern for physical contact.”
“In this instance, that boundary was definitely crossed, and we had no choice but to take action.”
