South African tennis legend Bob Hewitt, 71, has been accused of sexually molesting young girls – perhaps as many as nine, one of whom was only 10 years old at the time – in America and South Africa.
On Friday two of his alleged South African victims spoke out about their decades of shame.
Suellen Sheehan, 42, from Johannesburg, said she felt “liberated” to finally be able to speak about the abuse (which did not include intercourse) but which, she said, started when she was about 10 years old.
“He used to take us to the tennis hut, or the changing room or even to his car for what he called ‘mind coaching’.
“We all thought he loved us, but I knew something was not right about it and when I look back on it now, he did some terrible things.
“I dreaded being on my own with him and told my mother, who did not believe me,” said Sheehan.
Gina Read, 42, also from Johannesburg, said: “He was such a creep, he was always trying to touch me or kiss me.
“No physical stuff happened between us, but once he threatened to rape me. He told me I was a late developer and needed to have sex with him.
“He always pushed up against us on the court and to this day, I have an aversion to anyone pushing up against me. I avoided him like the plague. I’m surprised he got away with what he did,” said Read.
The revelations follow a report in US newspaper the Boston Globe, which carried out a six-month investigation of the international tennis doubles star after one of his American victims broke her silence in March.
Former pro-tennis player Heather Conner (nee Crowe) resigned from her school committee, citing the therapy she was receiving for the sexual abuse she suffered from her coach when she was 14.
With her daughters now approaching the same age, Connor said it was time to break her silence.
In an interview with the local Newburyport Daily News, Conner, 50, would only say that “the coach” was 36 and she was 14 years old when the abuse started; “he was known as a famous doubles player, had been inducted into the International Hall of Fame and that he now lived in South Africa”.
She alleged she was coerced into sex with him for the first time near the tennis courts at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield when she had just turned 15.
The Globe then launched their investigation.
This week the newspaper said it had gathered reports from nine women who had all been coached by Hewitt in their early teens and who all claimed they had been either sexually abused or harassed by him.
Hewitt, who moved to SA as a young professional tennis player from Australia, was the golden boy of the international tennis circuit in the 60s and 70s, winning all the grand slam doubles titles, men’s and mixed (US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open, French Open) and SA’s Davis Cup title in 1974, before turning to coaching.
In 1992 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
This week The Independent on Saturday contacted Hewitt’s home in Addo in the Eastern Cape three times in vain. During two calls on Thursday, the newspaper was told he was unavailable.
On Friday morning, reporters were told that he was in Australia.
According to the Boston Globe, their reporter confronted Hewitt in the driveway of his home.
He allegedly refused to look at the reporter’s evidence.
At first he denied knowing Conner (Crowe), then acknowledged knowing her as Crowe. He has refused to comment on any of the allegations.
Hewitt’s former double’s partner, Greer Stevens, leaped to his defence.
“He was my coach for only a short time, but nothing like that ever happened with me. Bob has always been a good friend and still is,” said Stevens this week.
The SA Tennis Association would not comment on the damning allegations against Hewitt, saying the responsible body at the time, the SA Tennis Union, no longer existed.
But a former promotions manager at major tennis tournaments, Keith Brebnor, told The Independent on Saturday he became so concerned about the rumours during the 1970s that he approached the president of the union at that time, Blen Franklin, who was also a court judge.
“Tennis as a sport was really upfront and Franklin said he was horrified about the allegations, but that when it came to making accusations against someone as famous as Hewitt, nothing could be done unless one of the girls opened a case and took it to court.
“We both agreed it would be a terrible experience for any young girl to have to go up against someone like Hewitt in the public domain,” said Brebnor on Friday night.
Hewitt was also a tennis commentator on SABC in the 1980s and became a great favourite with tennis fans, but his services were abruptly terminated in 1989. The television station said this was to “cut expenses”.
But in an unexpected about-face by the SABC the next year, Hewitt was reinstated to provide commentary at Wimbledon and the French Open.
He is now retired. - Independent on Saturday