Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt suspends two weeks of pushing anti-doping officials

LONDON – Two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt was suspended for two weeks for pushing anti-doping officials.

The International Tennis Integrity Bureau said Wednesday that the sanctions will take effect from September 25 to October 7 to avoid “too punishment” for Hewitt by affecting his Davis Cup schedule.

The incident happened last November when Australian captain Hewitt pushed a 60-year-old volunteer anti-doping partner after his team lost to Italy in the semifinals.

Hewitt denied the charges and begged for self-defense.

ITIA referred the case to an independent court that upheld the allegations of offensive conduct and noted that Hewitt’s behavior “don’t meet the requirements of self-defense” and that his behavior was “unreasonable and disproportionate”.

Hewitt, 44, is the former No. 1 male tennis player and was fined about $20,000.