Roger Federer has finally addressed the elephant in the room as men’s tennis struggles with the fallout of a damaging political scandal.
AFP
Roger Federer addressed the elephant in the room.Source:AAP
Roger Federer believes there should be lessons learned from the Justin Gimelstob ordeal and is happy the American chose to step down from his position on the ATP board.
Gimelstob pleaded no contest to a felony assault, reduced to a misdemeanour, after attacking an old friend, venture capitalist Randall Kaplan last Halloween.
The former tennis player, who is also the coach of US star John Isner, was sentenced to three years of probation, must serve 60 days of community service and complete 52 weeks of anger management classes.
Gimelstob has been an influential figure in the political scene on the men’s tour and was believed to be a key factor behind the non-renewal of ATP CEO Chris Kermode’s contract beyond 2019.
Now that Gimelstob has vacated his board seat, many believe the decision on Kermode’s fate should be reversed.
“I don’t know exactly the process, when the votes are happening, when the new CEO, all this stuff gets decided. But anyway (Kermode) should maybe be put back in the mix,” Federer told reporters at the Madrid Open.
“But then again I don’t know if he would want to be after everything that happened. “Sometimes when these things happen, it is like, ‘OK, I had a good run, and it’s OK to go’.”
The silence from the leading voices of the game following news of Gimelstob’s sentencing was seen as deafening, with only players like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka calling for his removal from the board before the American took the decision himself.
Roger Federer has largely been silent on the Gimelstob case, until now.Source:Getty Images
Gimelstob has plunged tennis into controversy.Source:AP
“I think it’s definitely the right move by Justin. He needs to go back and figure things out. There is no doubt about that,” Federer said.
“And the Tour needs to keep moving forward in these challenging times and important times right now.
“I was speaking also to some of the players on the Council to get a feel where they were standing when everything was brewing and I’m happy that the decision was taken by Justin and that now we can move forward and really like learn from what had happened also.”
Last week, three-time grand slam champion Wawrinka said there has been a “worrying decline in moral standards” in tennis as “politics have overshadowed the action on the courts”.
In a letter published Friday in The Times of London, Wawrinka discussed Gimelstob’s case and also referred to what he called a “concerted plot” to oust Kermode as ATP president.
Wawrinka’s complaint about the sport’s “political chaos” and “numerous conflicts of interest” is the latest piece of an ongoing saga enveloping tennis as the French Open approaches.
“I feel compelled to express my views on this regrettable period in our sport,” Wawrinka wrote. “This episode has left many players, myself included, concerned about the direction tennis is heading in.
“There is no place in our sport for those who behave like Justin. The lack of responses from people involved in the game, particularly at the beginning of this saga, when he was charged last December, was alarming.
“This is a situation where silence amounts to complicity.”
AFP
Roger Federer addressed the elephant in the room.Source:AAP
Roger Federer believes there should be lessons learned from the Justin Gimelstob ordeal and is happy the American chose to step down from his position on the ATP board.
Gimelstob pleaded no contest to a felony assault, reduced to a misdemeanour, after attacking an old friend, venture capitalist Randall Kaplan last Halloween.
The former tennis player, who is also the coach of US star John Isner, was sentenced to three years of probation, must serve 60 days of community service and complete 52 weeks of anger management classes.
Gimelstob has been an influential figure in the political scene on the men’s tour and was believed to be a key factor behind the non-renewal of ATP CEO Chris Kermode’s contract beyond 2019.
Now that Gimelstob has vacated his board seat, many believe the decision on Kermode’s fate should be reversed.
“I don’t know exactly the process, when the votes are happening, when the new CEO, all this stuff gets decided. But anyway (Kermode) should maybe be put back in the mix,” Federer told reporters at the Madrid Open.
“But then again I don’t know if he would want to be after everything that happened. “Sometimes when these things happen, it is like, ‘OK, I had a good run, and it’s OK to go’.”
The silence from the leading voices of the game following news of Gimelstob’s sentencing was seen as deafening, with only players like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka calling for his removal from the board before the American took the decision himself.
Roger Federer has largely been silent on the Gimelstob case, until now.Source:Getty Images
Gimelstob has plunged tennis into controversy.Source:AP
“I think it’s definitely the right move by Justin. He needs to go back and figure things out. There is no doubt about that,” Federer said.
“And the Tour needs to keep moving forward in these challenging times and important times right now.
“I was speaking also to some of the players on the Council to get a feel where they were standing when everything was brewing and I’m happy that the decision was taken by Justin and that now we can move forward and really like learn from what had happened also.”
Last week, three-time grand slam champion Wawrinka said there has been a “worrying decline in moral standards” in tennis as “politics have overshadowed the action on the courts”.
In a letter published Friday in The Times of London, Wawrinka discussed Gimelstob’s case and also referred to what he called a “concerted plot” to oust Kermode as ATP president.
Wawrinka’s complaint about the sport’s “political chaos” and “numerous conflicts of interest” is the latest piece of an ongoing saga enveloping tennis as the French Open approaches.
“I feel compelled to express my views on this regrettable period in our sport,” Wawrinka wrote. “This episode has left many players, myself included, concerned about the direction tennis is heading in.
“There is no place in our sport for those who behave like Justin. The lack of responses from people involved in the game, particularly at the beginning of this saga, when he was charged last December, was alarming.
“This is a situation where silence amounts to complicity.”
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