Robert Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen. He has won 15

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

titles and a career Grand Slam in both men's and mixed doubles. In 2015, he was convicted of rape and sexual assault of girls he was coaching in the 1980s and 1990s; Hewitt was sentenced to six years in jail, and was subsequently expelled from the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

Early life

Hewitt was born and grew up in

Dubbo, Australia Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

, 400 kilometres west of Sydney."Bob Hewitt sentenced to six years' jail for rape and sexual assault of underage girls in South Africa" - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
/ref> In the 1970s, he and his South African wife Dalaille (née Nicholas) moved to

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. He is now a South African citizen.

Career

Hewitt's most significant accomplishment was winning all Grand Slam doubles titles, both in men's and mixed doubles (US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open and French Open), and being central to South Africa's only

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

title in 1974. This victory was controversial, as India boycotted the final on the orders of their government due to South Africa's

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

policies and their effect on the ethnic Indian community of the country. Hewitt achieved seven titles in singles and 65 in doubles. He was ranked World No. 6 in 1967 by

Lance Tingay Lance Tingay (15 July 1915 – 10 March 1990) was a British sports journalist, historian, and author of several tennis books. For many years his annual ranking of top tennis players was "the only one that counted" before ATP rankings were introduc ...

of ''The Daily Telegraph''. In 1992, he was inducted into the

, but he was suspended from the Hall in 2012 and expelled in 2016 after his convictions of rape and sexual assault.

Grand Slam doubles finals

Doubles (9 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Mixed Doubles (6 titles, 1 runner-up)

Open-era doubles finals

Wins (54)

Allegations and conviction of sexual assault and rape

In 2011, a six-month investigation by ''The Boston Globe'' disclosed allegations from one adult woman who was coached as a girl by Hewitt's assistant coach. The investigation was prompted by the revelations of a former student in March 2011, who claimed that, beginning in the 1970s, Hewitt

abused Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

or harassed her when she was as young as 10 years old. Interviews with contemporaries in the United States and South Africa indicated that there had been no rumors about misconduct by Hewitt at the time of the alleged events. The South African Tennis Union investigated after 1992, but no legal action was taken against Hewitt. ''The Boston Globe''s investigation and report of the victim prompted the request and was followed up by a letter signed by his alleged victim asking for his removal from the Hall of Fame. A November 2011 investigative piece by

Mary Carillo Mary Carillo (born March 15, 1957) is an American sportscaster and former professional tennis player. She is an analyst for '' Tennis on NBC'' and a reporter for NBC Olympic broadcasts. Career Tennis Carillo played on the women's professional ...

of HBO's ''

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' is a monthly sports news magazine on HBO. Since its debut on April 2, 1995, the program has been presented by television journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel. Overview Format Each episode consists of fou ...

'' includes interviews with the alleged victim and others who claim that Hewitt abused them. Hewitt did not agree to be interviewed for the piece. In May 2012, Hewitt's one-time mixed doubles partner

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

spoke to the ''Washingtonian'', saying "I don't feel good about Bob Hewitt. I played mixed with him. We won the

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

together in 1970. I'm not happy. I am very upset." On 15 November 2012, after months of investigation, Hewitt lost his place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame: "His legacy ceases to exist in the Hall of Fame", said Mark Stenning, executive director of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "As of today, his plaque will be removed from the Hall of Fame. His name will be removed from our website and all other materials, and from the perspective of the Hall of Fame, he is suspended from the Hall of Fame." On 6 April 2016, Hewitt was officially expelled from the Tennis Hall of Fame.

Conviction

Hewitt was charged in June 2014 with rape of two underage students in the 1980s and 1990s, and went on trial in 2015. On 23 March 2015, Hewitt was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

of minors by the South Gauteng High Court in South Africa, and was sentenced in May to an effective six years in jail.Tennis champion Bob Hewitt loses child rape appeal
/ref> One of his victims was 13 in 1980 when Hewitt, who was her tennis coach, raped her.
/ref> Heather Crowe Conner of

West Newbury West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 census. History Originally inhabited by Agawam or Naumkeag peoples, West Newbury was settled by Eng ...

was a 14-year-old in 1975 when Hewitt began raping her. Another victim was 12 in 1982 when Hewitt assaulted her during a tennis lesson. Hewitt was released on parole in April 2020. At the time Hewitt had served three years, six months and 22 days of his six-year sentence.

References

Reference bibliography

External links

* * *
Daily Liberal – City served him well
* Real Sport

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewitt, Bob 1940 births Living people 20th-century Australian criminals Australian Championships (tennis) champions Australian emigrants to South Africa Australian male tennis players Criminals from New South Wales French Open champions Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Naturalised citizens of South Africa Australian rapists Australian people convicted of rape Australian people convicted of child sexual abuse People from Dubbo Prisoners and detainees of South Africa South African male tennis players South African people of Australian descent South African people of British descent South African people convicted of rape Child sexual abuse in South Africa Tennis people from New South Wales US Open (tennis) champions Wimbledon champions Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) South African tennis coaches White South African people Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' doubles Australian Championships (tennis) junior champions Sportspeople convicted of crimes ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players