Tennis bad boy Lleyton Hewitt’s attempt to show fans his softer side in a documentary has ended up with the world number three facing legal action in Australia brought by his former best friend.
Hewitt has included footage of himself and Australian-rules football player Andrew McLeod visiting Aboriginal sacred sites together last year in a DVD scheduled for release next month entitled Lleyton Hewitt: The Other Side.
In the DVD, McLeod showed Hewitt several aspects of his Aboriginal culture, including bush walking, dancing, fishing and story-telling.
But lawyers for McLeod told the Federal Court in Melbourne on Thursday that Hewitt had not sought his permission or that of traditional landowners in the Kakadu region before including culturally sensitive footage.
McLeod, who plays for Hewitt’s hometown team, the Adelaide Crows, and once shared a house with the tennis star, sought an injunction preventing Hewitt from releasing the DVD.
Hewitt’s lawyer, Ross Macaw, told the court his client wants the matter dealt with as soon as possible because distributors want the DVD on the shelves in time for Christmas.
The DVD is designed to show Hewitt’s life away from the tennis court, where his intensity has occasionally led to accusations of unsporting behaviour from opponents. — Sapa-AFP