MELBOURNE, Australia — As the tennis world was transfixed on Andy Murray as he played what may have been the final match of his career last Monday night, another drama was beginning in Interview Room 2 at the Australian Open. After a first-round loss, Australia’s Bernard Tomic launched the opening volley in an off-court rift between Lleyton Hewitt and some of the top male players in Australian tennis, a conflict that kept heads turning and eyes rolling throughout the tournament’s first week. Australian men’s tennis was a dominant force in the sport in the 1950s and 1960s, producing players who won 52 of the 80 Grand Slam singles titles in that span. Hewitt arrived on the scene many years later and in the early part of the last decade, finished two seasons at No. 1 and captured two Grand Slam titles.

Source: New York Times January 20, 2019 23:15 UTC