HEWITT THREATENS ATP WITH WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

As hurtful in a P.R. sense as suing the ATP is Lleyton Hewitt's absence on tour. The world No. 1 is not participating this week in the Tennis Masters Series-Monte Carlo, one of the ATP's top-level events that ALL players are supposedly REQUIRED to play. Now the ostentatious Aussie has pulled from next week's event in Barcelona citing "doctor's orders" for rest, even though he has had a few weeks rest since the spring hardcourts and Davis Cup, and has not cited any injury.

Hewitt is reportedly set to sue the ATP over a $100,000 fine he received last year, since reduced to $20,000, for allegedly refusing to do an interview with host broadcaster ESPN at the ATP stop in Cincinnati. To Hewitt, paying $20G would be about as painful as paying the cable bill to you and me, but this is not as much about money as it is principle.

"If the issue were money, Lleyton could have accepted one of the compromise offers made by the ATP prior to the appeal. If the ATP believes this is the correct way to handle this matter, there is little wonder that the International Men's Tennis Association (competing player's union) is gaining support," said Lleyton's pop Glynn Hewitt, showing the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. "It should be understood that the issue is, and always has been, about clearing Lleyton's name."

Now let's not go overboard pop. Settling this issue is one thing, but clearing Lleyton's name is another monster. We're talking about the kid who was known for "sledging" (talking smack to your opponent) when he first came on tour, screaming "C'mon!" and pumping his fist at opponents, blowing off the media in his own Australia, calling Australian tennis fans stupid, garnering a reputation from ATP employees as "very difficult to deal with," and spouting off with racist remarks concerning a black linesman at the U.S. Open giving calls to black American player James Blake. That's damage control out of everyone's league dad, better just stick to this incident rather than "clearing Lleyton's name."

Fact is, only a few people know what really happened with ESPN and the ATP employees involved in Cincinnati. Another fact is, Lleyton has told many a media member and ATP employee to piss off when asked to do off-court activities over the years. Lleyton is a team player in the sense that there is one person on the team: Lleyton.

Hewitt's agent at Octagon, Tom Ross, has turned the spin dial to "9" in trying to deflect the controversy with agent-logic.

"Lleyton was forced to withdraw from an event that was never included in his schedule this year," Ross said. "The ATP automatically enters all top players in Masters Series events, regardless of their individual intentions."

Since the ATP can apparently no longer penalize players for not playing TMS events by taking away year-end bonus pool money (since that dried up after the ISL sponsorship debacle), it appears "individual intentions" have overshadowed the once-fabled Tennis Masters Series level of events. This is evident in this week's TMS-Monte Carlo event, missing Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Marat Safin, Roger Federer, Mark Philippoussis, Jan-Michael Gambill, etc. The players who skipped out would collectively make a more high-profile event than the spate of dirt-ballers currently in Morocco. Think the media is clamoring for a feature story on Gaston Gaudio? All the features are missing in Monte.

Now it has come out that Hewitt's "individual intentions" also don't include the TMS events in Rome or Hamburg. Will the ATP crumble and give in to Hewitt's suit? Can the No. 1 player in the world effectively control men's tennis by dictating his own schedule, skipping the biggest ATP events and blowing off the media? Hewitt has called the ATP a "circus," and is a proponent of the rogue IMTA player's group to separate player interests from the ATP's.

Who said the rebel spirit of Jimmy Connors is dead?