Australia’s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has received a two-week ban and been fined 30,000 Australian dollars (£14,600) after being found guilty of pushing a doping control official.
Hewitt pushed a 60-year-old volunteer anti-doping chaperone after Australia’s Davis Cup semi-final defeat by Italy last November in Malaga, Spain.
The two-time Grand Slam singles winner was charged in January for engaging in offensive conduct towards a doping control official.
He denied the charge – which was brought by the the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) following a review of video evidence, witness statements and interviews – and cited self-defence.
However, the ITIA confirmed on Wednesday an independent tribunal upheld the charge and said the 44-year-old’s actions “did not meet the requirements of self-defence” and the push was “too strong or forceful and was excessive or disproportionate”.
Hewitt will be banned from taking part in “all tennis-related activities” from 24 September until 7 October.
He will be able to captain Australia as they host Belgium in the second round of Davis Cup qualifiers from 13-14 September in Sydney.
The tribunal’s chair Michael Heron said they did not want the suspension to be “unduly punitive” on Hewitt by impacting his Davis Cup schedule.
Hewitt, who won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, can appeal against the decision but the ITIA have said no appeal has been submitted yet.
“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,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a statement.
“In this case, that line was clearly crossed and we had no other option but to take action.”
