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Oops! Gimelstob double faults

LONDON: Justin Gimelstob’s disparaging comments about Anna Kournikova have created a stir at Wimbledon, where World Team Tennis (WTT) teammate Serena Williams denounced the remarks as unprofessional.

Gimelstob retired from the men’s tour last year and is on the board of the ATP, which runs men’s tennis. He made sexual remarks about Kournikova and other female players on a Washington radio programme “The Junkies” last week, before heading to Wimbledon.

Widely published

The comments were widely published in Britain on Friday, after Gimelstob was suspended one match without pay by WTT for a violation of the player conduct code.

Gimelstob called Kournikova the “b-word” and made sexually-charged remarks about her and his brother. Gimelstob apologized on the WTT website on Wednesday, the day of his suspension.

Serena Williams, who is on the Washington Kastles team with Gimelstob, said the comments were “totally uncalled for.”

“Being pro women’s rights, I just think we’ve come farther than to be referred to ... you know, I don’t cuss,” she said on Friday, during her post-match press conference. “Anna is a great girl. For anyone to say that about her is kind of ... what can I say? It’s not professional.”

Gimelstob also made a suggestive comment about Czech player Nicole Vaidisova during the programme. Vaidisova downplayed the remarks.

“I know Justin. He’s a very nice guy. I heard he apologized for it,” Vaidisova said. “I think it’s just you say something and you don’t really mean it. It happens.”

No excuse

In his apology, Gimelstob said there was “no excuse.” .

“I am extremely disappointed in myself,” Gimelstob said in the statement. “I take full responsibility for all the words that came out of my mouth ... Anna Kournikova, World Team Tennis and many others deserve my deepest apologies.

“I recognise that my access to communicate to the public should be used in a positive way.”

Billie Jean King, the co-founder of WTT, met with Gimelstob and was “confident both he and WTT will move beyond this unfortunate incident,” she said in a statement on the WTT website.

Gimelstob, a commentator at Wimbledon for American cable TV’s Tennis Channel, writes a regular column for Sports Illustrated’s website.

Kournikova had little to say about Gimelstob’s remarks. “I really don’t want to get into any of the off-court stuff,” she said during a conference call previewing the WTT season. “I’m just going to take the high road and not get into this discussion.

“WTT is not about those sorts of things, it’s about keeping it fun and positive. ... I don’t want to give it any more significance than it has already received.” — AP

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