Lleyton Hewitt has hit back at Bernard Tomic by claiming that he blackmailed him and threatened his family, including his wife Bec.
Lleyton Hewitt has alleged Bernard Tomic threatened his family and has attempted to blackmail him since their relationship breakdown in 2017.
Hewitt finally responded to Tomic’s explosive comments on Thursday night in a press conference after his Australian Open doubles exit by declaring the world No. 88 has been officially blacklisted from the Australian Davis Cup team.
“For me it was probably the abuse that I copped,” Hewitt said, when asked why he no longer speaks to Tomic.
“Both (physical and verbal) – blackmail and physical,” Hewitt said on Thursday night.
“The threats that I’ve received for me and my family that I’ve had had for a year and half now, I don’t think anyone would reach out to a person who speaks like that.
– Hewitt
“I had to draw a line in the sand and that will continue. He won’t play Davis Cup. I haven’t spoken to him since.
“The threats that I have received for me and my family, I’ve had for a year and a half now.”
He said the threats had been “blackmail and physical” and involved his wife Bec Hewitt.
“It started because of blackmails to do with wildcards and this was over a year ago,” said Hewitt.
Hewitt later claimed Tomic’s blackmail attempts surrounded the former Australian No. 1’s demand to get his way with Tennis Australia or he would refuse to play Davis Cup ties.
Hewitt said he had not had anything to do with Tomic since their infamous falling out in 2017 when his attempt to reach out to the younger tennis star on the Gold Coast was reportedly spurned under the advice of Tomic’s father John.
“I don’t know what’s happened or why Bernie is Bernie. I have no idea,” Hewitt said, of their falling out. “It’s probably his upbringing. That would have a big part to do with it.
“For me, the biggest frustration is that I feel like I really went out of my way to help Bernie. Especially when I first came into the role.
“I spent a lot of time with him at a lot of tournaments and tried to get a coaching structure and physical team around him to give him the best opportunity but at the end of the day he kept making the wrong mistakes.
“Deep down, Bernie knows what I’ve done for him … for Bernie to come out and have a go but more to get all of his facts wrong, that’s probably the most disappointing thing.”
“At the end of the day, he just kept making the wrong mistakes.”
Tomic’s comments in his post-match press conference sent Tennis Australia into a frenzy.
“Absolutely, Kokkinakis, Kyrgios, we don’t want to play anymore because he’s ruined it,” Tomic said.
“He’s ruined the system. Like, go away. I thought he’d retired, like, why are you still in tennis? Why do you still play all these doubles tournaments?”
Hewitt said he has spoken to Kyrgios since Wednesday night where Kyrgios appeared to criticise Hewitt for attending only the match of Alex de Minaur.
“All we ask for is that you commit to the sport,” Hewitt said of his friction with Kyrgios.
“All I want is for guys to commit and to play hard and to want to play for Australia. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
