Bob Hewitt
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Bob Hewitt (1967)
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| Full name | Robert Anthony John Hewitt |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 Australia South Africa (pre-1994) |
| Residence | Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Born |
12 January 1940 Sydney, Australia |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Turned pro | 1970 (amateur tour from 1958) |
| Retired | 1983 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $613,837 (Open era) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1992 (suspended in 2012) (expelled in 2016) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 243–170 (Open era) |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | No. 6 (1967, Lance Tingay) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1960, 1962, 1963) |
| French Open | 4R (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1962, 1964, 1966) |
| US Open | QF (1967) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (1972) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 481–124 |
| Career titles | 65 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1963, 1964) |
| French Open | W (1972) |
| Wimbledon | W (1962, 1964, 1967, 1972, 1978) |
| US Open | W (1977) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1977) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1961) |
| French Open | W (1970, 1979) |
| Wimbledon | W (1977, 1979) |
| US Open | W (1979) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1974) |
| Bob Hewitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Anthony John Hewitt |
| Criminal charge |
Child grooming Sexual activity with a minor |
| Criminal penalty | 6 years imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Imprisoned |
| Conviction(s) | 23 March 2015 (guilty plea) |
Robert Anthony John "Bob" Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen.
Hewitt's most significant accomplishment was winning all Grand Slam doubles titles, both in men's and mixed doubles (US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open, French Open) and being central to South Africa's only Davis Cup title in 1974. That victory was controversial, with India boycotting the final on the orders of its government due to South Africa's apartheid policies, which were affecting 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 of The Daily Telegraph. In 1992 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In November 2012, he was indefinitely suspended from the International Tennis Hall of Fame following an investigation into multiple allegations brought forward concerning sexual misconduct involving Hewitt and minor students that he coached. On 23 March 2015, Hewitt was found guilty of rape and sexual assault and subsequently jailed for six years on 18 May 2015. On 6 April 2016 he was expelled from the Tennis Hall of Fame for his convictions. On 9 June 2016 his appeal against his sentence was denied and he was jailed for 6 years.
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, She claimed that, beginning in the 1970s, Hewitt abused or harassed her when she was as young as ten 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 ever taken against Hewitt.
The Boston Globe's investigation and report of the victim has 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 of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel includes interviews with the alleged victim and others who claim that Hewitt abused them. Hewitt did not agree to be interviewed for the piece.
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