Illness du jour

Australian umpire sidelined by chicken pox scare

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Top Australian umpire Wayne McKewen has been ruled out of officiating at Sunday's Australian Open men's final after a chicken pox scare, local newspapers said on Wednesday.

McKewen has presided over the past 10 men's finals but has been sitting alone in a Melbourne hotel room for the past week, ordered by doctors and tournament officials to stay away from the season-opening grand slam event.

It is the second major chicken pox scare for Australian tennis after world number one Lleyton Hewitt contracted the disease about three weeks ago.

Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper reported that McKewen began feeling unwell and broke out in spots while umpiring a first round match between American Andy Roddick and Argentine Mariano Zabaleta on January 15.

His illness has yet to be diagnosed and an initial test for chickenpox was negative, the paper said. McKewen was expecting another visit by a doctor in his hotel again later on Wednesday.

"I hope to find out today. I feel fine. The spots are going," McKewen told the Herald Sun.

Tournament officials however said McKewen would not be in the chair for the rest of the event.

"Whether what Wayne has got is contagious or not, he won't be umpiring for the rest of the tournament," the paper quoted tournament referee Peter Bellenger as saying.

"You can't just bring an umpire in who has missed most of the event, particularly when we have other international umpires available," he said.

Hewitt pulled out of the Hopman Cup exhibition teams event in Perth more than three weeks ago after contracting the disease.

The Australian Open top seed's preparation for his home grand slam was severely hampered and Hewitt admitted after losing in the first round to Spaniard Alberto Martin that it had left him drained of energy.

Hewitt did not have any contact with McKewen in the run-up to the Australian Open, the paper said.

 

Related information
Stories
Top-ranked Hewitt sidelined by chicken pox
Multimedia
Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.