Australia Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt fined and suspended for pushing anti-doping official
By Becky Hart
Published 10/09/2025 at 14:36 GMT+1
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Australia’s Davis Cup captain and former Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt has been fined AUS $30,000 and handed a two-week suspension by the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) following an incident with an anti-doping chaperone last year. Hewitt denied the charge, but he has been found guilty, and the suspension will begin on September 24.
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Australia Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has been given a fine and suspension after a "forceful push" on a doping control official in 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) oversaw the case, which related to an incident from November 23 last year.
Australia were playing in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup at the time, losing to eventual champions Italy. Matteo Berrettini defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Jannik Sinner beat Alex de Minaur.
Hewitt was alleged to have pushed a 60-year-old anti-doping official, and was charged in January with a breach of Article 7.15.1.1 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP): engaging in offensive conduct towards a doping control official.
The former Wimbledon and US Open champion denied the charge, saying he acted in self-defence.
But an independent tribunal upheld the charge of offensive conduct, stating that Hewitt’s actions "did not meet the requirements of self-defence".
Hewitt was handed a two-week ban, although the start of this has been delayed until September 24, meaning he will be available to captain Australia in this weekend’s Davis Cup tie against Belgium.
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Thanasi Kokkinakis of Team Australia speaks with Team Captain of Australia Lleyton Hewitt
Image credit: Getty Images
The two-week ban covers coaching, mentoring, playing and any other associated roles within tennis. In addition, Hewitt has been fined AUS $30,000 (ÂŁ15,000).
The chair of the independent tribunal stated that Hewitt’s behaviour "did not meet the requirements of self-defence," and that he had not been "reasonable and proportionate."
Karen Moorhouse, CEO of the ITIA, said: "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. In this case, that line was clearly crossed, and we had no other option but to take action."
Hewitt’s team have not yet lodged any appeal.
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The Australian is a former world No. 1, and winner of two Grand Slam titles - the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002. He also led Australia to Davis Cup triumphs, before retiring from singles in 2016.Â
In addition to his stint as Davis Cup captain, Hewitt has been seen back on the tennis tour, following the progress of his son, Cruz, who has been playing in Grand Slam junior events.Â
The 16-year-old was also handed a wildcard earlier this year into the Australian Open qualifying event, but lost in the first round.
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