Rusedski affair
frightens all players: Hewitt
By Jacquelin Magnay
January 12, 2004
Lleyton Hewitt admitted yesterday that players feared they might unwittingly
take banned substances supplied during matches but added he had complete faith
the tour's trainers were dishing out only drug-free products.
Hewitt voiced his concerns on the opening day of the adidas International in
Sydney after the tennis world was rocked by news on Friday that Greg Rusedski
had returned a positive test to the steroid nandrolone.
Rusedski has claimed he is being singled out because 43 other players have
tested positive to nandrolone that has come from the same source, a US supplier
of electrolyte-replacement products that were used by the ATP's own trainers.
Tennis sources yesterday confirmed 36 players had been found to have nandrolone
in their samples between August 2002 and May 2003, but at levels below what
constituted a doping offence.
A further seven, including the Czech player Bohdan Ulihrach, had high levels of
nandrolone and had been before an ATP drugs tribunal. All were cleared because
of evidence ATP trainers might have inadvertently been giving players a
contaminated electrolyte-replacement drink.
Hewitt said trainers employed by tennis authorities to supply drinks and
electrolyte tablets to players during matches were trustworthy but the thought
of unknowingly ingesting drugs supplied by them was a concern.
He said the seven players who were cleared last year were found innocent because
there was a group of them. "That happened in one tour and yeah, it worries
everybody," said Hewitt, who added he tried to control what he ate and drank,
did not take supplements and had everything he took checked by doctors and
tournament officials.
"If an ATP trainer comes on the court because you are cramping and says to take
a tablet of electrolytes, well that is what ATP trainers are out there for . . .
players can trust them. I would like to think you can trust what you are given."
The trainers stopped supplying the electrolyte-replacement product in May last
year, two months before Rusedski gave his drug sample, in late July.
The British No.2, who was so stressed about the drug scandal his left leg shook
uncontrollably during a short media address at Homebush Bay yesterday, faces a
career-ending two-year ban if found guilty. He faces an ATP drugs tribunal on
February 9 but is allowed to play until the tribunal hands down its findings.
Rusedski's lawyer, Mark Gay, told UK newspaper The Observer: "There are probably
six players out there scared out of their minds that they will be dragged
through this the way Greg is being. I am sure they are all innocent.
"There is no drug problem in tennis, the problem is with the ATP's
administration. There has only been one proven case of nandrolone abuse in
tennis in the past 10 years [Petr Korda in 1998, although in 2001 Guillermo
Coria was banned for nandrolone and Juan Ignacio Chela was banned for another
steroid. Last week, Mariano Puerta was banned for another steroid.] The scandal
here is what the ATP have done, not what the players are doing."
Tennis officials said they could not release the names of six of the seven
players who had faced drugs tribunals because they were found not guilty.
Ulihrach was found guilty but later cleared.
"They all had their day in court, they convinced the independent tribunal and
they were all exonerated and under ATP rules they are not guilty and there is
nothing to announce," said a source close to the cases.
Gay told another UK newspaper The Sunday Telegraph he was unaware the ATP had
taken the six cases to the tribunal stage.
"We would expect to have been told that by the ATP but we haven't been told
that," he said. "If this is true, then it's really big news for us. That would
indicate that this is fairly brainless.
"Why go to all that trouble if all you are going to do is to produce that same
exoneration? Also, if you have identified the problem as being the ATP giving
ATP players things . . . why waste time, money and effort? Why subject Greg to
all this stress and strain?"
He said he would consider launching a compensation claim against the ATP if
Rusedski was cleared of a doping offence.
"The thing I would then be doing would be asking for an awful lot of costs and
I'd be thinking about commencing proceedings against them in the United States
because it's crazy," Gay said.
"Greg has gone to considerable expense and been subjected to a lot of stress and
strain, so if we show up and all they say is, 'Here's another one, bang, you're
off', as a picture of futility it is hard to think of a greater one."
Yesterday, Rusedski would not comment on the case other than to quash rumours he
was being ignored in the locker room. He refused to take questions, explaining
he wanted to concentrate on his first-round adidas International clash with
Argentinian Chela, who has previously served a steroids ban.
"I have been very encouraged by the reaction I have had from people," Rusedski
said. "I have had nothing but support from people in the locker room - everyone
has been very positive and supportive towards me."
Hewitt said he would not ostracise Rusedski and supported his decision to play
until the decision of the ATP drugs tribunal in Montreal on February 9.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is investigating tennis but its ability to enforce
any findings is limited. The ATP and WADA are yet to sign off on an agreement,
with full compliance not due until August 1 this year.
WADA chief executive David Howman said the problem in tennis "may have nothing
to do with trainers and electrolytes".
"We are very concerned that perhaps the conclusion that the electrolytes
provided by the ATP trainers were responsible for the positive results is wrong
and there is something else going on out there," Howman said.
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/11/1073769452863.html
SEE PIC OF LL AT PRESS CONFERENCE:
http://www.smh.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1073769459327_2004/01/11/spt_hewitt_pressconf1201.jpg
Hewitt set for "family" showdown
January 13, 2004 - 5:30PM
He avoided tennis's much-hyped love match with fiance Kim Clijsters at the
Hopman Cup, but Lleyton Hewitt might find it more difficult averting a mini
family war at this week's adidas International in Sydney.
Emerging force Joachim Johansson, the boyfriend of Hewitt's younger sister
Jaslyn, has set his sights on a showdown with the former world No.1 after
announcing his arrival on the international scene with a stunning win at Olympic
Park.
Having staved off five match points against American Paul Goldstein in the
qualifying tournament, Johansson followed up with a 6-4 6-4 upset of world No.6
Rainer Schuettler to advance to the second round of the men's main draw of the
Australian Open lead-up event.
But, towering above his opponents at 198cm tall, the 21-year-old from Bjorn
Borg's home town of Sodertalje, half an hour from Stockholm, considers himself
more of a giant than giantkiller.
After spending the last two Christmases at the Hewitt family home in Adelaide
practising with the dual grand slam champion, Johansson said he wouldn't be
afraid to take on Australia's Davis Cup hero in the quarter-finals should the
two both win their next match.
"Everything I do, I'm not trying to lose and he is the same. It's fun with two
guys trying to win," Johansson said after thanking Hewitt for taking his game to
a new level.
If they don't clash in Sydney, they may do battle in Adelaide next month when
Australia plays Sweden in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Johansson was a member of Sweden's squad when it suffered a 5-0 defeat at the
hands of Australia in last year's quarter-final in Malmo. He received a taste of
what it was all about in a tight three-set loss to Wayne Arthurs in a dead
singles rubber.
With Magnus Norman and Andreas Vinciguerra out injured, Johansson is in the
frame for another crack at Australia - and more particularly Hewitt.
"For me, it would be an opportunity to play singles. If I got to play Lleyton,
it would be fun," he said.
The big-serving Johansson, who improved his ranking more than 100 places last
year to be on the cusp of the world's top 10, has been going out with Jaslyn for
several years after meeting when they both won the Traralagon junior tournament
in Victoria in 2000.
Jaslyn has spent between April and September in Sweden with him for the past two
years, with Johansson enjoying his past three summers with the Hewitts.
"They treat me very nice and I really like being around them," he said.
Johansson has also been playing golf most days with Hewitt, saying it made
Jaslyn "a bit jealous" and he planned to buy her some clubs for Christmas until
her parents Glynn and Cherilyn beat him to the punch.
Despite the couple's close relationship, there are no immediate plans to follow
Hewitt's lead and ask for his girl's hand in marriage.
©2003 AAP
Rules force media access
Leo Schlink
02jan04
THE world's leading male tennis players have been ordered to become accessible
to the media, including a demand for competitors to take part in television
interviews as they walk on to court for matches.
In a plan designed to popularise the sport, ATP players have been given a list
of commitments which, if not fully met after a three-month trial period, will
result in fines that double with every offence.
ATP executive Chris Clouser says the changes in media commitments are "an effort
to enhance the media-player relationship and to hopefully expand the amount of
promotion dedicated to tennis".
There is no mention in Clouser's letter to players of former world No. 1 Lleyton
Hewitt's multi-million dollar legal action against the ATP over interview
requests ahead of his first-round match in Cincinnati 15 months ago, a dispute
that has now reached the South Australian Supreme Court.
Under the new rules, which will be introduced from the weekend, players are
required to:
TAKE part in pre-tournament interviews of up to an hour's duration;
PERFORM a pre-match interview with television during walk-on before a match. The
interview is not to exceed two minutes. Broadcasters (not players) will have the
option to request the interview take place at the practice courts on the day of
the match.
SUBMIT to an interview of up to five minutes with host broadcasters after
winning a match.
APPEAR within 30 minutes at a post-match press conference. Exceptions to the
rule will be made only for injured players or those with good cause.
Clouser said no fines would be applied in the first three months of the 2004
season to "allow players, ATP, broadcasters and tournaments to adjust".
He said the ATP player council and board "felt that a stronger commitment was
needed to ensure standards and expectations are consistent for all matches and
players".
"Today's ATP players are among the most interesting and talented athletes in the
world," he said.
"This new media initiative was undertaken to provide the best forums to
demonstrate this fact to the press."
The rules include fines of $1300 for the first offence at ATP tournaments and
$660 at Challenger series. Fines will double at ATP events for each repeat
offence in a season.
Players have likened the ATP's stance to that of Cricket Australia, which has
been criticised by players for placing excessive demands on their time.
Herald and Weekly Times
Hewitt looking to net gains
this season
By AAP and Peter Ker
January 3, 2004
A refreshed Lleyton Hewitt may have committed to fiancee Kim Clijsters but he's
finding it more difficult to agree to an increased playing schedule this year.
The 22-year-old, in Perth for the Hopman Cup, which starts today, eased
speculation he would increase his playing schedule in an effort to return to the
top of world tennis this year.
The 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon champion, due to face Clijsters when
Australia play Belgium next Wednesday, is yet to decide on his plans after
sliding from No.1 to 17th in the world rankings last year.
"[I will] see what happens, I've not got past the round of 16 at the Aussie Open
yet and the Hopman Cup and [adidas International in] Sydney is about working
towards Melbourne for me and getting as much match preparation [as possible],"
he said yesterday.
Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Roger Federer have replaced Hewitt as the
best male players after the South Australian scaled back his tournament
commitments last year. But Hewitt said he had no regrets and felt the breather
was a major factor in his crucial singles win over Spaniard Ferrero in
Australia's Davis Cup final last November in Melbourne.
"It was awesome, I guess," Hewitt said. "Taking those last few months off before
the Davis Cup final, I know people questioned it and the people closest to me
didn't question it and knew what was best for me and it won us the Davis Cup in
a lot of ways, as it won the match against Ferrero."
Hewitt toiled in hot conditions at the Burswood Dome yesterday for more than an
hour and looked primed for another assault on the Australian Open in Melbourne,
from January 19.
He'll be aiming to become the first Australian male to win the national open
since 1976.
Hewitt said he felt stronger than ever and conceded the chance to become world
No.1 again might provide too tantalising a challenge.
"I feel I have a lot of energy in the tank at the moment so if the chance comes
around again to have a crack at number one I will be happy to take that chance."
Hewitt conceded there was unfinished business for he and Australian teammate
Alicia Molik in the eight-nation cup tournament after they were defeated in the
final by the United States last year.
The US have again been named top seeds for the mixed-teams event, but Lindsay
Davenport has replaced Serena Williams this summer.
Hewitt will play unfancied Attila Savolt or little-known Canadian Frank Dancevic
in Australia's opening tie on Sunday, depending on who wins today's qualifying
tie.
Australia and Belgium have been installed by bookmakers as equal favourites.
The Russians have formed a strong team of 2000 US Open champion Marat Safin and
world No.7 Anastasia Myskina and the Slovac Republic (Daniela Hantuchova/Karol
Kucera) and France (Amelie Mauresmo/Fabrice Santoro) will also be competitive.
Hewitt played down questions about Wednesday's match-up against Belgium, and
refused to discuss how he had proposed to Clijsters. He also was equally
reticent about their wedding plans.
But he conceded their similar career paths meant he and the former women's world
No.1 understood the burdens of the tennis world.
"It is good we both know what each other is going through, obviously I got to
the pinnacle of tennis and now she is up there," he said. "And the pressures and
whatever, we don't speak too much about tennis but if we do we can sort it out
or help each other."
Meanwhile, Mark Philippoussis will contest next week's Qatar Open and the adidas
International before returning to Melbourne Park for the Australian Open.
Speaking after a training session at Melbourne Park yesterday morning,
Philippoussis said he was looking forward to beginning the year on a positive
note.
"I've got two tournaments before the Aussie open, it has not been an ideal
preparation for those, but they will be a good preparation for here," he said.
Much of Philippoussis's Christmas break was spent recovering from the pectoral
muscle injury he sustained in the Davis Cup triumph.
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/03/1072908915799.html
TENNIS:
Lleyton drafts an old friend
By LEO SCHLINK and RICHARD EARLE
02jan04
DUAL Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt has bolstered his support staff ahead of
an assault on the world No. 1 ranking.
Hewitt, 22, has added Adelaide pennant player and occasional Satellite tour
competitor Jimmy Chaousis to his close-knit clan on the eve of the Australian
summer circuit.
Chaousis will assist Hewitt's coach Roger Rasheed.
Currently ranked 17th in the world after completing a season pockmarked by
injury and relatively moderate Grand Slam form, Hewitt hopes to quickly regain a
single digit ranking.
Chaousis will aid the former world champion's quest as both a hitting partner
and will also offer advice on off-court training. Chaousis, an old friend of the
West Lakes dynamo, has "settled in well" at Team Hewitt.
"He has signed me up for the year and we will see how it goes from there,"
Chaousis said.
"We grew up playing tennis together and I did a bit of touring with him when I
was a bit younger," said Chaousis, who toured for five years beginning at age
16.
Chaousis' appointment continues Hewitt's approach to hiring predominantly local,
trusted lieutenants.
"I think the first thing that's pretty important is to get along well and we
do," Chaousis said.
"I know Roger (Rasheed) very well and all three of us have a good kind of
combination going there. Obviously his tennis has gone up and mine didn't quite
go that way so now I am helping him out.
"We were pretty good friends because we were in a lot of tennis squads together.
I received a phone call one day and he asked me if I wanted to jump ship so I
did."
Hewitt had noticed Chaousis coaching on the professional circuit – his work
impressing the former Wimbledon champion.
Chaousis had been working with Russian Galina Fokina , ranked 150th in the world
and coached American Timothy Neille to a world No. 3 junior ranking.
Chaousis said Hewitt was a supremely fit athlete but would strive for
improvement where possible.
Crowy racket for Hewitt
By Leo Schlink
December 31, 2003
LLEYTON Hewitt will not only parade trademark patriotism this week at the
Hopman Cup, but also a personalised racquet combining his abiding sporting
passions.
Hewitt will this week unveil his newest weapon, a stylised Yonex racquet bearing
the Adelaide Crows' colours.
As well as carrying the red, yellow and blue of the 1997-98 AFL premier, the MP Tour-1 frame will also feature the guernsey No. 23 of Hewitt's closest football friend, Andrew McLeod.
Hewitt, ranked 17th in the world after a season fragmented by a light schedule and injury, will head to Perth on Friday with Belgian fiancee Kim Clijsters.
Australia, also featuring Alicia Molik, will open its cup campaign on Sunday against either Hungary or Canada, who will play off for the eighth and final spot on Saturday.
Hewitt will play either Hungarian Attila Savolt or Canadian Frank Dancevic in his Australian circuit pipe-opener.
The degree of difficulty would then steadily rise for the former world No. 1 with matches against Clijsters' teammate Xavier Malisse and Slovakian Karol Kucera.
If second-seeded Australia wins Group B, it could face the United States, Russia, France or the Czech Republic in the final.
Hewitt would face players the calibre of James Blake, Marat Safin, Fabrice Santoro and Jiri Novak in the final if Australia advanced.
Hewitt has been training solidly in Adelaide with his coach Roger Rasheed
since helping Australia to a 3-1 Davis Cup victory over Spain last month.
Herald Sun
Triple test for Hewitt
01jan04
LLEYTON Hewitt will attempt a high-stakes juggling act over the next two weeks
as he seeks to reproduce the form that carried him to Davis Cup glory, while
bidding to peak for the Australian Open.
Hewitt and his coach Roger Rasheed have methodically worked to an end-of-season
training regimen designed to generate wins at the Hopman Cup from Sunday and
then at the adidas International in Sydney, where the South Australian has
previously excelled.
But while Hewitt is typically intent on achievement in Perth and at Homebush
Bay, it is the lure of Rod Laver Arena success which drives the dual grand slam
champion hardest.
"We want Lleyton to be playing well over the next two weeks at the Hopman Cup
and in Sydney," Rasheed said. "But, while we want him to be playing well, we
want his absolute best tennis, and for him to peak, at the Australian Open.
"The Hopman Cup, in many ways, is the perfect preparation for him. It's an event
where you can test your skills against high-class opposition in competition in
front of a supportive home crowd.
"It's not a tour event and it's not a grand slam, so while there's pressure, he
can feed off the crowd a bit and get a lift there."
Rasheed has presided over a watershed change in the game Hewitt produced with
chilling consistency to win Wimbledon, the US Open and two Tennis Masters Cups
under Darren Cahill and Jason Stoltenberg.
While Rasheed and Hewitt have yet to team for a singles title, the partnership
last month was instrumental in Australia's Davis Cup final success - an event
which also signalled to the international tennis community the South Australian
baseliner was back to his extraordinary best.
"I think we can expect to see more of that style of tennis," Rasheed said of
Hewitt's new-found aggression. "There's no reason to want to change what we all
saw against Roger Federer in the Davis Cup semi-finals and then against Juan
Carlos Ferrero in the final.
"The goal now is to peak at Melbourne Park."
Hewitt is yet to better the fourth round of the Australian Open in six attempts.
Strangely, his record at his home grand slam is his worst of the Big Four.
He has won both Wimbledon and the US Open, where he has also reached the
semi-finals on two other occasions, and has made the quarter-finals of the
French Open.
Hewitt is desperate to become the first Australian male to win in Melbourne
since Mark Edmondson in 1976, but will do so without the arguable protection of
a high seeding.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8294450%255E23216,00.html
Hewitt the hope for the big dish
By Darren Walton
December 30, 2003
The return of Pat Rafter and Jelena Dokic brings the promise of diverting
sideshows but home fans will be hoping Lleyton Hewitt can make the biggest
headlines of the Australian summer. A month-long tennis feast starts with the
Hopman Cup in Perth on Saturday as the world's premier players begin to converge
on most states and territories to battle for $28.24 million in total prizemoney.
From lead-up events in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Canberra and
the Gold Coast, the cream will rise for the Australian Open at Melbourne Park,
from January 19 to February 1, looking to make an impact in the first grand slam
of 2004.
Still after the key to a successful Australian Open campaign, Hewitt has again
gone for the Hopman Cup as his launcher. The mixed teams event at the Burswood
Dome offers the former world No.1 at least three competitive singles matches and
a fourth if he and Alicia Molik can guide Australia to the final.
Hewitt will ease into the New Year on Sunday against either unheralded Canadian
Frank Dancevic or little-known Hungarian Attila Savolt. He then meets Belgian
Xavier Malisse - one of only nine players to have beaten him in 2002 - and wily
Slovak Karol Kucera. Yet his most eagerly awaited date of the event will be on
Wednesday week, when he and fiance Kim Clijsters clash in the mixed doubles.
Hewitt will be hoping to wind up his Perth sojourn with a final test against
either Marat Safin, James Blake or Jiri Novak before going to Sydney for the
adidas International, starting on January 11. The Davis Cup hero, though, will
have his work cut out nabbing a third title in Sydney - after his back-to-back
successes in 2000-01 - with the tournament attracting a quality 32-man field in
which only players ranked in the top 40 were assured a start. Joining Hewitt in
Sydney will be Davis Cup teammate Mark Philippoussis and fellow top-10 stars
Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Rainer Schuettler.
The women's field for the International is even more impressive, with Serena
Williams and Jennifer Capriati the only top-10 absentees. World No.1 Justine
Henin-Hardenne will be top seed ahead of Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay
Davenport, Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Chanda Rubin and Ai Sugiyama.
Even so, the centre of attention among the women is sure to be Dokic, in her
first event in her former homeland since the 2001 Australian Open.
Dokic, who grew up near the Homebush Bay venue, will be making an emotional
return to the court where she represented Australia in a play-off for bronze at
the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Australian Open chief Paul McNamee thinks time away and added maturity will have
healed old wounds for the 20-year-old, who quit Australia as an angry teenager
and whose father, Damir, felt local media and officials were against her.
Hopefully, she will be greeted warmly.
If Dokic is the prodigal daughter returning, two-time US Open champion Rafter is
certainly the favourite son. Rafter, who hasn't played competitively since
Australia's 2001 Davis Cup final loss, is making a brief comeback in doubles to
partner fellow Queenslander Josh Eagle and will be among the drawcards at the
AAPT Hardcourt Championships in Adelaide from January 5-11, and then at the
Open. Other stars for Adelaide include grand slam finalists David Nalbandian and
Greg Rusedski, while Nalbandian, world No.1 Andy Roddick, Wimbledon winner Roger
Federer and defending champion Andre Agassi will prepare for the Open at the
Commonwealth Bank International at Kooyong from January 14-17.
Besides the adidas and Hopman, the other women's Open lead-ups are the Uncle
Tobys Hardcourt Championships on the Gold Coast (January 4-10), the Moorilla
International in Hobart (January 11-17) and the Canberra Women's Classic the
same week.
SCHEDULE
Australia's summer of tennis:
Hopman Cup
Perth, January 3-10
Format: mixed teams (men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles).
Drawcards: Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, James Blake, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay
Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, Alicia Molik.
Uncle Tobys Hardcourt C'ships
Gold Coast, January 4-10
Format: women's singles and doubles.
Drawcards: Nicole Pratt, Ai Sugiyama, Conchita Martinez, Patty Schnyder.
AAPT Hardcourt Championships
Adelaide, January 5-11
Format: men's singles and doubles.
Drawcards: Pat Rafter, David Nalbandian, Taylor Dent, Greg Rusedski, Thomas
Johansson, Wayne Ferreira.
adidas International
Sydney, January 11-17
Format: men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles.
Drawcards: Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya,
Rainer Schuettler, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport,
Jelena Dokic.
Canberra Women's Classic
Canberra, January 11-17
Format: women's singles and doubles.
Drawcards: Nadia Petrova, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Emilie Loit.
Moorilla International
Hobart, January 11-17
Format: women's singles and doubles.
Drawcards: Samantha Stosur, Eleni Daniilidou, Rita Grande, Amy Fraser.
Commonwealth Bank International
Melbourne, January 14-17
Format: men's singles exhibition.
Drawcards: Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, David Nalbandian,
Sebastien Grosjean, Younes El Aynaoui.
Australian Open, Melbourne
January 19-February 1
Format: men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles
Drawcards: Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Andre Agassi,
Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine
Henin-Hardenne, Kim Clijsters, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Jelena
Dokic.
AAP