SM
Thursday, November 7
Upcoming predictions and previews

Lleyton Hewitt: Bernard Tomic has threatened and tried to blackmail me

:Headline: Lleyton Hewitt: Bernard Tomic has threatened and tried to blackmail me: ID:347075: from db_amp
Tomic claimed Davis Cup captain Hewitt has favoured certain players over others.

Lleyton Hewitt hit back at "clown" Bernard Tomic in an extraordinary press conference, claiming the 26-year-old has threatened and tried to blackmail him.

Tomic made headlines on the opening day of the tournament with criticism of Davis Cup captain Hewitt, saying no one wanted him in the role and accusing him of favouring certain players over others.

The 26-year-old named Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis as other players who felt the same. Neither backed him publicly, although Kyrgios has made sniping comments about Hewitt on social media.

Bernard Tomic hit out at Lleyton Hewitt on the first day of the tournament (Nigel French/PA)

After a first-round doubles defeat at Melbourne Park, Hewitt pulled no punches in his response, saying: "That is what we've come to expect from Bernie – whatever grand slam it is, after a first-round loss he will come out with something.

"We're trying to set cultural standards for the Davis Cup and representing Australia. He hasn't been close to those in the last couple of years. Since then I haven't had anything to do with Bernie at all.

"For me the biggest frustration is I feel like I went out of my way to help Bernie, especially when I first came into the role. He still kept making the wrong mistakes.

"For me it was probably the abuse I copped from him. In the end I drew a line in the sand and haven't spoke to him since. He won't play Davis Cup while I have anything to do with it.

Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt is Australia's Davis Cup captain (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

"The threats I've received for me and my family, that I've had for a year and half now, I don't think anyone would reach out to a person who speaks like that."

Hewitt said the threats were physical and that Tomic had also attempted to blackmail him over wild cards.

He added: "Probably the first two years that I was in this role, Bernie and Nick were my two priorities so for Bernie to come out and have a go but more to get all his facts wrong, that's probably the most disappointing thing."

Hewitt flatly denied Tomic's claim that he benefited financially from the players given wild cards for the Australian Open.

Hewitt added: "I don't know why Bernie's Bernie. I have no idea. It's probably his upbringing. The most disappointing thing is on day one we had all these great wins by a lot of our guys and all these Bernie comments overshadow it. It's one clown making a silly comment and that's the main news."

Nick Kyrgios has taken swipes at Hewitt on social media (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Hewitt took a different stance with Kyrgios, claiming the Davis Cup door is open, but is unhappy with the 23-year-old's approach to the sport and his habit of writing incendiary social media posts.

"That is one of the standards which we can't put up with, for the culture of Australian tennis moving forward," said the 37-year-old. "I don't think it is a good look. I've spoken to Nick and he understands that. Whether he learns or not is another thing.

"I'm happy to help anyone who's willing to meet me halfway. I think you have to enjoy going out there and playing."

amp_article__347075 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-01-18 09:44:44:
html db last update - 2019-01-18 09:44:44 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Lleyton Hewitt

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .