Hewitt, as many fans at Flushing Meadows have yet to learn, purportedly was engaged in a secret pursuit in the years before and after his ’77 feat. According to four women who recently detailed their experiences in the Globe, Hewitt, a 1992 inductee in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, allegedly sexually abused or harassed underage girls he was coaching in America and his South African homeland.
To the corporate titans of international tennis, the public’s fascination with the Open - from the cocktails to the art of the competition - rather than the Hewitt scandal has proven a welcome relief. But lurking amid the hurly-burly are signs that the sport may not easily free itself from the fallout of Hewitt’s alleged misconduct.
The Hall of Fame announced yesterday it has formed a committee to review the case, as one of the leading voices of professional tennis said publicly what some others would state only privately because their livelihoods depend on the game.
“If all this is true, I have a very, very difficult time having Bob Hewitt in the International Tennis Hall of Fame,’’ said Mary Carillo, a former professional player who is a member of the Hall’s nominating committee and long has served as a national broadcast tennis analyst. “I would like to think that this gets fully investigated by everybody.’’
Hall of Fame president Tony Trabert said a panel of senior staffers has begun looking into the matter.
“Our basic attitude at the moment is that [Hewitt] has not been indicted and is innocent until proven guilty, but we’re certainly concerned about it,’’ Trabert said. “We’re going to be diligent about it and see what we can discover.’’
Tennis fans who are familiar with the scandal have joined some of Hewitt’s contemporaries and the alleged victims’ supporters in demanding action.
“I’m appalled by what happened to these women as young girls,’’ said Kim Steinmetz, who in the 1980s was a professional doubles partner of Heather Crowe Conner, one of Hewitt’s alleged victims. “Come on, tennis authorities, step up and do something.’’
