It's tough times for Lleyton Hewitt.
The 2-time Grand Slammer, who was upset on his 28th birthday in the Delray Beach first round by Lu Yen-Hsun 7-5, 2-6, 6-2, is being sued by his former management company, U.S.-based Octagon, for "breaching the Trade Practices Act, reneging on agreements and breaching exclusive contracts." They believe they're due to a bigger slice of his monies from 2000 and beyond.
Lleyton has filed a countersuit which accused them of misleading and deceptive conduct, unjust enrichment and management incompetence. He and Octagon parted ways in late 2004.
Due to the lawsuit, many of the Aussie hothead's earnings were revealed including:
- In 2005 and 2006 Lleyton was paid $6.75 million from endorsements and tournament guarantees
- New Idea magazine paid him $84,000, Nike $3.5 million, Yonex racquets $2.3 million and Optus $130,000, it is claimed. Lleyton received $330,000 from endorsing tennis games for two video companies
- Tournament organisers in Sydney, Adelaide and London paid him $340,000 in appearance fees
In addition to the lawsuit, Lleyton has been reportedly considering a move to the U.S. to ease the burden of travel and accomodate his family.
I'm sure this lawsuit and his desire to move are a huge distraction to him right now, particularly as he tries to come back from last August's hip surgery. But, in all honestly Lleyton's best days are way behind him.
(image via Getty)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Lleyton being sued by Octagon, earning details revealed
Labels: lawsuit, Lleyton Hewitt, tennis
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His life is in the s*** right now, poor guy.
ReplyDeleteRich - Any idea how they pay out these appearance fees? Is it something that is known among the players that top ballers get these appearance fees, or it's a hush hush kind of thing.
Also, are tourney guarantees something the ATP or WTA pay the players or it's the tourneys that do the paying?
Ash
Ash - Oh yeah appearance fees are pretty standard and well known. The amounts can be startling, particularly in areas like the Middle East and for exos in Asia.
ReplyDeleteDon't quote me here (anyone else feel free to speak up) but I believe in most instances the tourneys are responsible for the guarantees.
The ATP and WTA are essentially administrators and have a heavy hand in the management of the game.
I agree his best days are behind him. He was never one of my favorites, but I always liked him. I think the game needed someone like him. A friend and I were having a discussion the other day about him, and she compared him to Gilles Simon. Both never give up, and both can run anything down. Or, at least Hewitt could run anything down in him prime. That's about where the similarities end, but I tend to agree with her. Those two reasons (plus the hot factor) are exactly why I like Gilles!
ReplyDeletenatch: Agreed I think tennis needed his game but for some reason he was able to get underneath people's skin.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was because he didn't necessarily court attention, even from fans, and then there was the US Open incident with James Blake.
I wonder if he's going to retire after this season if his results bad.
*waves to RiCH*
ReplyDeleteHi Richie!
*flashes*
Completely wasted, wasn't it? ;)
LH definitely is not the most likable guy. Remember how his "C'mon!"'s bugged everybody? My friend pointed out that Simon does something similar when he's fired up (although I can't think of it right now) that she thinks will start getting on people's nerves if he gets more popular, or starts becoming a real threat. Interesting, don't you think?
I wonder why he's trying to come back. Hip surgery is MAJOR, especially for a tennis player. I wonder if he needs the money? I really expected him to retire after he had the surgery. But then again, we aren't exactly bff's, so I don't think he cared about my expectations. ;)
*flashes back, then waves sheepishly*
ReplyDeletehey - i always appreciate a good flash. it's a dying artform.
that is an interesting point. it's similar to the way ana's fist pumps are starting to grate too. i think fans like it when it feels organic - which is def not after every single point.
she def does it after almost every point - it's strange. i'm all for pumping your self up but it can cross the line into annoyance, especially when they do it after their opponents errors.
yeah i swore lleyton would retire after the surgery too. hip injuries for tennis ballers are the worst and never get better. you could go down the list of ballers whose hip injuries ended their careers - esp for someone who relies on movement so much.
I remember how in love I was with my baby Guga. Remeber when he won the French? Then came the hip surgery. I wonder if Rafa would have dominated the clay courts if my main squeeze was still around injury-free?
ReplyDeleteAsh
Ah, Guga. Good times, good times. I don't know anyone who isn't crazy about him. Funny enough, he used to do those cute exhales after every point, yet they never got annoying. Lleyton & Ana? Very annoying. Rich is right--if it's organic, you get a free pass.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Rich, I missed Fat Tuesday, so I'm making up for it with the flashing.
*runs out into street*
*lifts shirt, reveals "I heart Rafa" artfully painted by Betto Almeida*
RiCH hearts Guga
ReplyDelete