Bob Hewitt, a former 15-time grand slam doubles winner, has been convicted of rape by a South African court.

Hewitt had denied two charges of rape and a third count of sexual assault on underage girls.

The attacks took place in the 1980s and 1990s, when Hewitt was coaching the girls in South Africa.

"Time did not erase the crimes. A guilty person should not go unpunished," Judge Bert Bam said at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.

Hewitt won nine major doubles title during the 1960s and 70s, as well as six mixed doubles crowns.

His name was suspended indefinitely from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012 following allegations of abuse.