Rape case against former doubles champion Bob Hewitt postponed

The rape and sexual assault case against Grand Slam doubles champion Bob Hewitt was postponed on Friday until next year.

According to Sport24, South Africa's public prosecutor is bringing an application to have the charges against the former hall of famer centralised and heard in the same court.

Hewitt is accused of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault of young girls, the report said.

Two of the alleged victims were under the age of 16 at the time and the third under 18, the report added.

Prosecutors say the offenses date back as far as the early 1980s, when Hewitt was still a major name in tennis, the report further said.

Hewitt denies the charges and has previously threatened to sue his accusers and a court in Boksburg on Friday postponed the case until January 10, according to the report.

The 73-year-old Hewitt was not present, citing continued ill health after he missed the first court hearing in August, but his lawyer said they would go ahead with their own application to have the case heard in the Eastern Cape, where Hewitt lives, the report mentioned.