Scathing attack on Hopman

Press, 6 February 1982, Page 60

Scathing attack on Hopman

NZPA Melbourne Four former Australian tennis players have sharply criticised the country’s former Davis Cup captain, Harry Hopman, for his action in enabling John McEnroe to escape a $5OOO fine. Hopman was McEnroe’s designated representative on a three-man panel which heard the American champion’s recent appeal against the fine, imposed by the Mens’ Professional Tennis Council for his protests and antics at Wimbledon last year.

The other two representatives wanted the fine upheld but Mr Hopman dissented and it was dropped because of the need for a unanimous decision.

Neale Fraser, Ken Rosewall and Frank Sedgman, all top international players in their day, yesterday published an open letter to Mr Hopman in the Melbourne “Age” newspaper. They said they wished to express their disapproval that a man like Hopman, who had done so much for tennis'throughout the world, should defend McEnroe’s behaviour. A former Wimbledon champion, John Newcombe, in his Sydney newspaper column earlier this week, also attacked Mr Hopman, saying his decision to defend McEnroe was amazing. Sedgman, Rosewall and Fraser said in their letter that Mr Hopman had made

them aware of their responsibilities as top tennis players and had penalised them for not eating properly at table, hitting balls over the fence, having dirty sandshoes or not running as far as they were told.

“It is difficult for us to justify your support for McEnroe. When the world No. 1 is allowed to get away with such behaviour it encourages young players to feel they can do the same thing,” the three said. Newcombe wrote: “Why does Harry Hopman — Australia’s greatest ever Davis Cup captain — now support the very things he fought so strongly against. Letting McEnroe off scot free is ridiculous and humiliating for the game of tennis.” Mr Hopman, aged 75, left Australia more than a decade ago and now runs a tennis camp in Florida. Seugman won Wimbledon in 1952, Fraser in 1960 and Rosewal) won every major championship except Wimbledon.