Quick Facts
Biography
Robert Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen. He has won 15 major titles and a career Grand Slam in both men's and mixed doubles.
Convicted in 2015 of rape and sexual assault of minors (girls he was coaching in the 1980s and 90s), Hewitt was sentenced to an effective six years in jail, and was subsequently permanently expelled from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Early life
Hewitt was born and grew up in Dubbo, Australia, 400 kilometres west of Sydney. In the 1970s, he and his South African wife Dalaille (née Nicholas) moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. He is now a South African citizen.
Career
Hewitt's most significant accomplishment was winning all Grand Slam doubles titles, both in men's and mixed doubles (US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open, French Open) and being central to South Africa's only Davis Cup title in 1974. That victory was controversial, with India boycotting the final on the orders of its government due to South Africa's apartheid policies, which were affecting the ethnic Indian community of the country.
Hewitt achieved seven titles in singles and 65 in doubles. He was ranked World No. 6 in 1967 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph. In 1992 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, though in 2012 he was suspended and in 2016 he was expelled from the Tennis Hall of Fame for his convictions of rape and sexual assault.
Grand Slam Doubles finals
Doubles (9 titles, 4 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-Up | 1961 | Wimbledon | Fred Stolle | Roy Emerson Neale Fraser | 4–6, 8–6, 4–6, 8–6, 6–8 |
| Runner-Up | 1962 | Australian Championships | Fred Stolle | Roy Emerson Neale Fraser | 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 4–6, 9–11 |
| Winner | 1962 | Wimbledon | Fred Stolle | Boro Jovanović Nikola Pilić | 6–2, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1963 | Australian Championships | Fred Stolle | Ken Fletcher John Newcombe | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1964 | Australian Championships | Fred Stolle | Roy Emerson Ken Fletcher | 6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 4–6, 14–12 |
| Winner | 1964 | Wimbledon | Fred Stolle | Roy Emerson Ken Fletcher | 7–5, 11–9, 6–4 |
| Runner-Up | 1965 | French Championships | Ken Fletcher | Roy Emerson Fred Stolle | 8–6, 3–6, 6–8, 2–6 |
| Runner-Up | 1965 | Wimbledon | Ken Fletcher | John Newcombe Tony Roche | 5–7, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1967 | Wimbledon | Frew McMillan | Roy Emerson Ken Fletcher | 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1972 | French Open | Frew McMillan | Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol | 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 1972 | Wimbledon | Frew McMillan | Stan Smith Erik van Dillen | 6–2, 6–2, 9–7 |
| Winner | 1977 | US Open | Frew McMillan | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Winner | 1978 | Wimbledon | Frew McMillan | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 |
Mixed Doubles (6 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1961 | Australian Championships | Jan Lehane O'Neill | Mary Carter Reitano John Pearce | 9–7, 6–2 |
| Runner-Up | 1963 | Wimbledon | Darlene Hard | Margaret Court Ken Fletcher | 9–11, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1970 | French Open | Billie Jean King | Françoise Dürr Jean-Claude Barclay | 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1977 | Wimbledon | Greer Stevens | Betty Stöve Frew McMillan | 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1979 | French Open | Wendy Turnbull | Virginia Ruzici Ion Ţiriac | 6–3, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1979 | Wimbledon | Greer Stevens | Betty Stöve Frew McMillan | 7–5, 7–6 |
| Winner | 1979 | US Open | Greer Stevens | Betty Stöve Frew McMillan | 6–3, 7–5 |
Open-era doubles finals
Wins (54)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1970 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Hard | Frew McMillan | Ilie Năstase Ion Ţiriac | 7–5, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1970 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Clay | Frew McMillan | Ilie Năstase Ion Ţiriac | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 1970 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Frew McMillan | Tom Okker Nikola Pilić | 6–3, 7–5, 6–2 |
| Winner | 3. | 1972 | Bournemouth, England | Clay | Frew McMillan | Ilie Năstase Ion Ţiriac | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Winner | 4. | 1972 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Frew McMillan | Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol | 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1972 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Ion Ţiriac | Jan Kodeš Ilie Năstase | 6–4, 0–6, 6–3, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 5. | 1972 | Bristol, England | Grass | Frew McMillan | Clark Graebner Lew Hoad | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 6. | 1972 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Frew McMillan | Stan Smith Erik van Dillen | 6–2, 6–2, 9–7 |
| Winner | 7. | 1972 | Tanglewood, U.S. | Other | Andrew Pattison | Jim McManus Jim Osborne | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8. | 1972 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Clay | Frew McMillan | Paul Gerken Humphrey Hose | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 9. | 1972 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Clay | Frew McMillan | Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 10. | 1972 | Albany, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Ove Nils Bengtson Björn Borg | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1974 | Little Rock, U.S. | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | Jürgen Fassbender Karl Meiler | 0–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 11. | 1974 | Washington WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 12. | 1974 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Pierre Barthès Ilie Năstase | 3–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 13. | 1974 | Munich WCT, Germany | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Pierre Barthès Ilie Năstase | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Winner | 14. | 1974 | Johannesburg WCT, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Jim McManus Andrew Pattison | 6–2, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Winner | 15. | 1974 | World Doubles WCT, Montreal | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Owen Davidson John Newcombe | 6–2, 6–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1974 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Raymond Moore Andrew Pattison | 4–6, 7–5, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1974 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–2, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 16. | 1974 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 7–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 17. | 1975 | Rotterdam WCT, Netherlands | Carpet | Frew McMillan | José Higueras Balázs Taróczy | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 18. | 1975 | Munich WCT, Germany | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Corrado Barazzutti Antonio Zugarelli | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 19. | 1975 | Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco | Clay | Frew McMillan | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1975 | Johannesburg WCT, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1975 | Tehran, Iran | Clay | Frew McMillan | Juan Gisbert Manuel Orantes | 5–7, 7–6, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 20. | 1975 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Charlie Pasarell Roscoe Tanner | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 21. | 1976 | Columbus WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 22. | 1976 | Baltimore WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Ilie Năstase Cliff Richey | 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 1976 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Rod Laver Dennis Ralston | 6–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 23. | 1976 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Raúl Ramírez | Juan Gisbert Manuel Orantes | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 1976 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Brian Gottfried | Dick Stockton Roscoe Tanner | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 1976 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Frew McMillan | Wojtek Fibak Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 5–7, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 1976 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Frew McMillan | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 24. | 1976 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 4–0 RET |
| Winner | 25. | 1976 | Cologne, Germany | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Colin Dowdeswell Mike Estep | 6–1, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 26. | 1976 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 27. | 1977 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Wojtek Fibak Tom Okker | 6–1, 1–6, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 1977 | Little Rock, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Colin Dibley Haroon Rahim | 7–6, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 28. | 1977 | Springfield, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Ion Ţiriac Guillermo Vilas | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 29. | 1977 | San Jose, U.S. | Hard | Frew McMillan | Tom Gorman Geoff Masters | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 30. | 1977 | Palm Springs, U.S. | Hard | Frew McMillan | Marty Riessen Roscoe Tanner | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 31. | 1977 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Charlie Pasarell Erik van Dillen | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 32. | 1977 | La Costa, U.S. | Hard | Frew McMillan | Ray Ruffels Allan Stone | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 33. | 1977 | Los Angeles PSW, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Robert Lutz Stan Smith | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 34. | 1977 | Jackson, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Phil Dent Ken Rosewall | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 1977 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Raúl Ramírez | Robert Lutz Stan Smith | 3–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Winner | 35. | 1977 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Karl Meiler | Phil Dent Kim Warwick | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 14. | 1977 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Colin Dowdeswell | Jürgen Fassbender Karl Meiler | 4–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 15. | 1977 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Clay | Roscoe Tanner | John Alexander Phil Dent | 3–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 36. | 1977 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Raúl Ramírez | Fred McNair Sherwood Stewart | 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 37. | 1977 | U.S. Open, New York | Clay | Frew McMillan | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 16. | 1977 | Tehran, Iran | Clay | Frew McMillan | Ion Ţiriac Guillermo Vilas | 6–1, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 38. | 1977 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Frew McMillan | Antonio Muñoz Manuel Orantes | 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 17. | 1977 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Frew McMillan | Wojtek Fibak Jan Kodeš | 0–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 39. | 1977 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Wojtek Fibak Jan Kodeš | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 40. | 1977 | Cologne, Germany | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Fred McNair Sherwood Stewart | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Winner | 41. | 1978 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Vitas Gerulaitis Sandy Mayer | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 42. | 1978 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Vitas Gerulaitis Sandy Mayer | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Winner | 43. | 1978 | St. Louis WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Wojtek Fibak Tom Okker | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 18. | 1978 | Palm Springs, U.S. | Hard | Frew McMillan | Raymond Moore Roscoe Tanner | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 44. | 1978 | Denver, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Fred McNair Sherwood Stewart | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 45. | 1978 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Colin Dibley Geoff Masters | 7–5, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 19. | 1978 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Raúl Ramírez | Álvaro Fillol Jaime Fillol | 3–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 46. | 1978 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Frew McMillan | Fred McNair Raúl Ramírez | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 47. | 1978 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Frew McMillan | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 20. | 1978 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Kim Warwick | Mark Edmondson Tom Okker | 4–6, 6–1, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 48. | 1978 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Clay | Arthur Ashe | Fred McNair Raúl Ramírez | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 21. | 1978 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Víctor Pecci Balázs Taróczy | 3–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 22. | 1978 | Cologne, Germany | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 23. | 1978 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Peter Fleming Raymond Moore | 3–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 49. | 1979 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Heinz Günthardt | Mark Edmondson John Marks | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 24. | 1979 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Heinz Günthardt | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 7–6, 6–7, 1–6 |
| Winner | 50. | 1979 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 51. | 1979 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 52. | 1979 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Mike Cahill Buster Mottram | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Winner | 53. | 1980 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Frew McMillan | Colin Dowdeswell Heinz Günthardt | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 54. | 1980 | Munich, Germany | Clay | Heinz Günthardt | David Carter Chris Lewis | 7–6, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 25. | 1980 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Frew McMillan | Kevin Curren Steve Denton | 7–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Allegations and conviction of sexual assault and rape
In 2011, a six-month investigation by The Boston Globe disclosed allegations from one adult woman who was coached as a girl by Hewitt's assistant coach. The investigation was prompted by the revelations of a former student in March 2011, She claimed that, beginning in the 1970s, Hewitt abused or harassed her when she was as young as ten years old. Interviews with contemporaries, in the United States and South Africa, indicated that there had been no rumors about misconduct by Hewitt at the time of the alleged events. The South African Tennis Union investigated after 1992, but no legal action was ever taken against Hewitt.
The Boston Globe's investigation and report of the victim prompted the request and was followed up by a letter signed by his alleged victim asking for his removal from the Hall of Fame.A November 2011 investigative piece by Mary Carillo of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel includes interviews with the alleged victim and others who claim that Hewitt abused them. Hewitt did not agree to be interviewed for the piece.
In May 2012, Hewitt's one-time mixed doubles partner Billie Jean King spoke to the Washingtonian, saying "I don't feel good about Bob Hewitt. I played mixed with him. We won the French Open together in 1970. I'm not happy. I am very upset." On 15 November 2012, after months of investigation, Hewitt was deprived of his accolade in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "His legacy ceases to exist in the Hall of Fame", said Mark Stenning, executive director of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "As of today, his plaque will be removed from the Hall of Fame. His name will be removed from our website and all other materials, and from the perspective of the Hall of Fame, he is suspended from the Hall of Fame." On 6 April 2016, Hewitt was permanently expelled from the Tennis Hall of Fame.
Conviction
Hewitt was charged in June 2014 with rape of two underage students in the 1980s and 1990s, and went on trial in 2015. On 23 March 2015, Hewitt was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault of minors by the South Gauteng High Court in South Africa, and was sentenced in May to an effective six years in jail. One of his victims, Theresa "Twiggy" Tolken,was 13 in 1980 when Hewitt, who was her tennis coach, raped her. Heather Crowe Conner of West Newbury was a 14-year-old in 1975 when Hewitt began raping her. Another victim, Suellen Sheehan, was 12 in 1982 when Hewitt assaulted her during a tennis lesson.
