SME News Balkan. Australia\u2019s Davis Cup captain and former world No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt, has been fined AUS $30,000 and handed a two-week suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) following an incident involving an anti-doping official last year.The disciplinary action stems from an incident on November 23, 2024, in which Hewitt was found to have “forcefully pushed” a 60-year-old anti-doping chaperone during a doping control process. Hewitt was subsequently charged in January 2025 with a breach of Article 7.15.1.1 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which prohibits offensive conduct towards doping control personnel.Although Hewitt denied the charge, claiming he acted in self-defence, an independent tribunal rejected his defence and upheld the charge, concluding that his actions “did not meet the requirements of self-defence” and were neither reasonable nor proportionate.The suspension will begin on September 24, allowing Hewitt to fulfill his role as captain for Australia\u2019s upcoming Davis Cup tie against Belgium this weekend. The two-week ban will apply to all tennis-related activities, including coaching, mentoring, playing, or any associated roles.In a statement, ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse emphasized the importance of protecting the integrity of anti-doping processes:> \u201cAnti-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. In this case, that line was clearly crossed, and we had no other option but to take action.\u201dHewitt, 44, is one of Australia\u2019s most decorated tennis figures. He won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, and spent 80 weeks as the world\u2019s No. 1. He has been serving as Davis Cup captain since his retirement from singles in 2016, helping guide a new generation of Australian talent.Hewitt has also been a visible presence on the junior circuit, supporting his 16-year-old son, Cruz Hewitt, who has competed in Grand Slam junior events. Cruz received a wildcard entry into the Australian Open qualifying draw earlier this year but was defeated in the first round.While the incident marks a rare controversy in Hewitt\u2019s post-playing career, the ITIA\u2019s ruling serves as a reminder of the standards expected within professional tennis \u2013 both on and off the court.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SME News Balkan. Australia\u2019s Davis Cup captain and former world No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt, has been fined AUS $30,000 and handed a two-week suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) following an incident involving an anti-doping official last year.The disciplinary action stems from an incident on November 23, 2024, in which Hewitt was found…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\n