Football scores over tennis

Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt plans to play an Australian rules football match instead of his reverse singles match in Davis Cup against...

Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt plans to play an Australian rules football match instead of his reverse singles match in Davis Cup against India on September 22 if the Australians have secured the best-of-five tie going into the final day.

Davis Cup coach Wally Masur said he was OK about Hewitt, passionate Australian rules fan, playing for the Adelaide crows in the charity match if Australia wins both opening singles and the doubles match.


Lleyton Hewitt poses with a young Aussie fan from Brisbane after winning the Wimbledon last week. (Reuters)

John Fitzgerald, Australia’s non-playing Davis Cup captain, has already consented to Hewitt missing the reverse singles if the tie is already settled in Australia’s favour.

“I’m just happy he’s available,” for Davis Cup, Masur said today, “if it’s a live tie he’ll play. That’s what we want him for.”

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Hewitt was part of Australia’s winning Davis Cup team in 1999 and played in both losing finals in 2000 and 2001.

The Australians were bundled out in the first round World Cup tie against Argentina in February, forcing them into a September 20 to 22 play-off against India. A loss for Australia would mean relegation to the zonal competition.

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