Lleyton Hewitt‘s legal team has claimed that “manipulated video evidence” was used in a recent hearing that resulted in his tennis suspension for two weeks.
The two-time Grand Slam title winner was found guilty by an independent tribunal on September 10 of pushing a volunteer doping control official (DCO) against a wall.
At the time, his suspension was confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The 44-year-old was issued a two-week suspension and a $30,000 fine, which he is going to appeal.
The incident happened in 2024.
On Monday, Hewitt’s legal team at WRP Legal released a statement which claimed that the investigation into the alleged incident effectively accepted Hewitt’s explanations, and why he was fined.
The Grand Slam title winner claimed that the volunteer initially made contact with him in a congested tunnel, and he did not reveal his position at the time.
Hewitt also claimed that the 60-year-old did not want to pursue the complaint against him.
“In December 2024, Lleyton Hewitt AM (LH) was notified of an alleged breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) following submission of manipulated video evidence to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The footage appeared to depict LH making physical contact with a Doping Control Officer (DCO),” the legal statement from Hewitt’s representatives said.
“The incident in question occurred immediately following the second match of the 2024 Davis Cup tie between Australia and Italy.
“In his capacity as Team Captain of the Australian team, LH exited the court alongside Alex de Minaur, walking through a highly congested tunnel area. During this time, a DCO, who never made himself known to either LH or Alex de Minaur, made significant contact with LH who was recovering from surgery.
“As the DCO attempted to re-approach Alex de Minaur in haste, LH, perceiving the threat of another imminent collision, reacted by fending the DCO away. Importantly, LH did not know who the DCO was or why he was in the tunnel.
“The Tribunal (which consisted of one solicitor based in New Zealand), accepted LH’s account of the incident as the truth and found that the contact with the official was at the lower end of the spectrum for contact with officials.
“The Tribunal rejected many of the claims made by the ITIA including the allegation that the push was unprovoked or motivated by anger or irritation.”
The statement also read that the tribunal found that there were “mitigating features in the case”, that “the ITIA failed to point out in their press release”.
It said the tribunal found that Hewitt was unaware of the volunteer’s position, the DCO was not injured and continued his duties right away, and that he did not want to take it further.
According to the statement, the incident “occurred in response to preceding contact”, and it was “not accompanied by threatening or abusive language”.
“The Tribunal also found that this was not an anti-doping rule violation even though it was being pursued by the ITIA via the TADP,” the statement continued.
“The Tribunal rejected the ITIA’s claim to impose a four-week suspension and fine, and instead decided that a two week suspension and a much lower fine was appropriate. The suspension will run from 24 September to 7 October.
During the case, a 42-second video, which was filmed by the volunteer’s wife “from the other side of the stadium”, was shown.
On Thursday, Hewitt said he was “really disappointed about the overall decision but also the whole process and the lack of facts that have been put out”.
He also said he would not be commenting further on the matter.
On Monday, his team added that the tribunal commended his commitment to tennis and professionalism.
“The Tribunal expressly acknowledged this and also LH’s credibility throughout the proceedings. The ITIA’s unfair characterisation of him was rejected.”
When will Lleyton Hewitt be suspended?
His suspension will start from September 24 and finish on October 7.
This means he has been allowed to captain the Davis Cup match in Sydney this weekend.
During the suspension period, he is not allowed to participate in “all tennis-related activities”, such as coaching, playing, captaincy, mentoring, and “other associated roles”.
