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Hewitt accused of homophobia during Davis Cup match
He may be a hot blonde, but Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt has a mouth like a trucker.
Playing Argentina's Guillermo Coria in Davis Cup action on the weekend at the Sydney International Tennis Center, Hewitt, ranked second in the world, let loose a barrage of swear words, name calling and rude gestures. "Numerous times he said, 'Allez, come on', the whole day as well. He grabbed his private parts at one stage, three times in a row, and I'm about to serve and I asked him if he had an issue - or if he could find it [his penis]," Coria said following the match. The name calling was not directed just at Coria. After Hewitt got into an argument over a line call by Portuguese umpire Carlos Ramos he marched over to match referee Norbert Peick and pointing to Ramos asked, "Who is this poof?" The remark is akin to someone in the US using the word "faggot". He later denied to reporters that he had made the remark, but a playback of the tape from the match showed that he had said it. The incident raised the ire of Australian LGBT rights groups. The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby issued a statement describing Hewitt's comment as malicious, vindictive and offensive. "Whilst we understand the tension in this match and in other sporting events, reverting to this sort of unnecessary and vile name calling is entirely inappropriate," said spokesperson Pete Dillon. Hewitt has refused to apologize. Despite the slur Hewitt was not censured. Argentina went on to defeat Australia 4 - 1 to reach the Davis Cup semifinals, and was joined by Russia, Slovakia and Croatia. It was a bitter letdown for Australia the 28-time Davis Cup winner. Argentina has never won the Davis Cup.
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