The Scoop: THURSDAY, APRIL 17

Hewitt’s on-going struggle with the ATP: 'a black eye for all"
Another pullout for Pete

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

We thought back in February after an ATP appeals committee concluded its finding in the ATP's case against Lleyton Hewitt due to the Cincinnati ESPN
affair that the Australian had decided to put the matter to rest, especially after Hewitt and the ATP released the following statement.

"With the committee's decision behind us, we look forward to focusing on the 2003 season."

But as tennisreporters.net readers know, the amount of the fine – if there even was a fine – wasn't released at the time. It wasn't until a few days ago when Hewitt's father, Glynn, decided to speak with Aussie journalist Leo Schlink about the matter, that the world knew that the appeals committee (paid by the ATP, by the way) hit Hewitt with a $20,000 fine, a reduction of some $86,000.
But that wasn't good enough to satisfy Hewitt, who believes that he is completely in the right. He was hoping that ATP CEO Mark Miles would see the
error of his staff's ways, eliminate the fine and apologize to him publicly.

"We were hoping that cooler heads would prevail," Hewitt agent, Octagon's Tom Ross told tr.net.
When that didn't come to pass, Hewitt decided to pursue a legal avenue and unless the ATP apologizes to him by June, he will slam them with a $1.5 million suit in a South Australian court.

"Every time we sought and presented the ATP with an opportunity to make a cooperative, productive, positive choice in this entire saga, they made the wrong one," Ross said. "Hence, we are at the stage we are in. When it comes to litigation of this nature, no one really wins. Everyone gets a black eye."
But the ATP - who sources say have spent more than $200,000 on the matter already (Hewitt has spent about half that) – isn't running scared. The brass in Ponte Vedra Beach believe that the fine that the appeals committee imposed on the No. 1 for failing to do an interview with host broadcaster ESPN at the Tennis Masters Series-Cincinnati last summer was justified.

ATP SAYS IT'S OVER
"As far as we're concerned, the matter is resolved," ATP vice president of communications Matthew Rapp said. "We feel that the matter has been comprehensively addressed, the process has been followed and as far as we're concerned, is concluded."

Hewitt's camp never believed in the appeals process to begin with. They only went through the New York hearings hoping that the panel - consisting of a retired United States Federal appellate court judge and former pros Richey Reneberg and Jacob Hlasek - would believe that Hewitt actually fulfilled his
obligations in Cincy. But they apparently didn't completely buy his argument and now Hewitt is alleging that the ATP breached its contract with him, defamed him and "intentionally and without justification" interfered in his business affairs.

Hewitt's father, Glynn, told an Australian newspaper that the amount of the fine is not the issue, but it is a matter of principle and they are going to court to save Hewitt's reputation.

"This litigation is being handled by outside counsel in Australia; however, having suffered with Lleyton and his family through virtually every aspect of his dealings with the ATP since he became a pro, we can certainly understand their frustration" Ross said.

It may be time for Miles to step in to try to resolve the situation, but Miles is standing behind his staff and if he backs down now, rescinds the fine and apologizes, the ATP will lose face. As one ATP staffer told Inside Tennis. "I think we've proved we're not just a bunch of monkeys around here."

This week, Hewitt opted out of playing the Tennis Master Series-Monte Carlo, as did No. 2 Andre Agassi and a handful of other players. Without an existence of a bonus pool anymore, it's going to be hard to convince the players to compete at every Masters Series, especially players like Hewitt, who happily cut a check for $1,500 to the breakaway International Men's Tennis Association recently.

There's been no negotiations between the ATP and Hewitt since February and from the looks of things this week, Hewitt - like brash and mistrustful anti-establishment icon Jimmy Connors before him - has years of battles with the ATP ahead of him.

Another pullout for Pete
It comes as no surprise that Pete Sampras pulled out of next week's U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston on Thursday, the fifth straight tournament in which he has withdrawn.

Sampras, who hasn't played a tournament since winning the '02 US Open last September, has pulled out of all five tournaments he entered this year: San Jose, Scottsdale, Indian Wells, Miami and Houston.

Last week, the seven-time Wimbledon champion asked for a wild card into the Queens Club grass court tournament, which is played the week before Wimbledon. However, his brother Gus said that Pete's Queens request was not a solid indication that Pete will come back.

Sampras is still hitting some at UCLA and doing a fair amount of off-court training. He and his wife, the actress Bridgette Wilson, put their $8.9 million LA palace on the market last month, but a real estate source told Inside Tennis that they have now taken it off the block.