Come on! Pull your head in Hewitt

I don’t how he can, but Australia’s most unpopular sportsperson is registering his arrogant hand gesture that has become the symbol of what a little shit he is.

I’m not sure how trademarking the movement of a bodypart will pay off for Lleyton Hewitt. Even if we had to pay him royalties, the money won’t exactly come rolling in as it’s not exactly a gesture that one makes normally unless they:

• Are doing a hand puppet show which involves having a discussion with an emu
• Are an ancient Egyptian
• Are an unloved tennis player who often talks to the same hand they’ve long had sexual relations with.

Anyway the “vicht” salute isn’t even Lleyton’s. The rights were actually held by former Swedish players Matts Wilander (someone whose compusure and sportsmanship Hewitt can learn from) and Niclas Kroon who let the trademark lapse. It is also used by other sportsmen like Grant Hackett (an Aussie sportsman in the true sense of the word) and Adelaide Crows defender Andrew McLeod as well as millions of other people who happen to have an arm, hand and wrist.

 

There’s a sense of irony that Hewitt wants to potentially have legal ownwership over something McLeod does. The former mates actually faced each other in court after McLeod accused Hewitt of misleading conduct over a DVD made about the trip made to the northern territory. McLeod claims Hewitt tried cashing in with the footage about the trip, which was meant to about McLeod taking high profile people on journey’s of discovery to the Territory.

The trip included visits to areas that are generally non-accessable to non-indigenous people and Aboriginal communities - why McLeod would want to take Hewitt to Aboriginal communities is anyone’s guess. God knows some of these people suffer enough.

I’m not being too harsh when I say Hewitt is unpopular. The only reason anyone supports him during the Australian Open is because he’s Australian anf there’s no one else with the potential to win grand slams. We loved Pat Rafter not just because he was an Aussie champion but because he is a decent bloke.  

But ask most Australians who they most preferred, Hewitt, Federer, Baghtadis or any sub 100 seed player from Eastern Europe whose name they can’t pronounce and you’ll find that Hewitt will come at the bottom of the list. Even Mark Philippoussis has more personality than the fading Adelaide-born star.