The Spin Team
In a few hours 64 men and women who have honed their skills
for much of their lives take to the courts in Melbourne Australia to compete
for the men’s and women’s singles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. I am really looking forward to the first Slam
of the year and will be cheering from the comfort of my living room as play
gets underway later today.
However, there are 2 things that have happened in tennis in
recent times which begs me to put on my keyboard warrior mantle and “talk”
about it. A few years ago, Ben
Rothenberg of the New York Times did a piece
on female athletes and their decision to resist bulking up. The nuances of the article were lost on many
people. I recall that there was one word
that came up in our discussion on the Realz podcast and that was juxtaposition. The placement of the
discussion of Serena’s muscles and the comment of Radwanska’s coach, “It’s our
decision to keep her as the smallest player in the top 10,” said Tomasz
Wiktorowski, the coach of Agnieszka Radwanska, who is listed at 5 feet 8 and
123 pounds. “Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.”
Putting these two things together said far more than the text about what was to
be valued in women athletes.
It is now 2019 and I can’t help but see the juxtaposition of
Andy Murray’s retirement announcement and the continued elevation of Justin
Gimelstob on the ATP Player Council. The
loss of one and continued rise of the other in tennis is just bad optics. The
silence from the tennis media about Gimelstob is even worse.
Murray, long lauded by tennis media for his style of play,
his penchant for speaking out in support of women’s tennis and given a pass for
most of his career for his on-court behavior, as just Murray being Murray, is
leaving the sport as a result of constant pain in his hip. While I may have had issues with Murray’s
on-court behavior on a few occasions, I never really sat down to watch his
matches, so I was never been exposed to his behavior for long periods. However, I have appreciated his standing up
and speaking out in support of the women’s game. For that, he deserves all the
accolades that he is getting.
On the other hand, there is Justin Gimelstob, allowed to
keep his job, after saying this about Anna Kournikova. “She’s a bitch," "Hate's a very strong word. I just
despise her to the maximum level just below hate." “If she’s
not crying by the time she walks off the court then I did not do my job." Asked
if he would ever have an affair with her, he said: "Definitely not. I have
no attraction to her. She has a great body but her face is a five. I really
have no interest in her … I wouldn’t mind having my younger brother, who’s a
kind of a stud, nail her and then reap the benefits of that.” (credit "The Telegraph")
Recently, Gimelstob has been embroiled in an allegation of
domestic violence against his wife and a restraining order is now in
place. In addition. Mr. Gimelstob is
also facing charges of assault against a male acquaintance. At the same time,
Gimelstob has remained on the ATP Player Board, after a failed vote to have him
removed. The current World No.1, Novak Djokovic, is toeing the party line by
stating that the allegations are just that … allegations.
Throughout Justin’s legal saga, none of his colleagues at
Tennis Channel, or indeed in the tennis media have spent any time discussing
this issue in the same way they spent time discussing the motor vehicle
accident involving Venus Williams and the subsequent civil trial. For Venus, it
too was an allegation of wrong doing. Where was the silence until the facts
were known?
When you consider the hand wringing of tennis media when
Serena Williams does something that is considered unsportsmanlike, their
silence about Gimelstob’s obviously destructive behavior speaks volumes. The
hypocrisy from the tennis punditry is blatant for all to see. There have been instances of violence
emanating from the men’s Tour and the quickness with which the media is ready
to excuse the poor behavior of these male players, while at the same time
calling for people like Serena Williams to be banned from the sport is
reprehensible.
Clearly, the powers that be have failed to see the
juxtaposition of who wins and loses in tennis. We lose Andy Murray who flew the
flag for his country and for women’s tennis as high as it would go. Who sometimes during the course of his career
showed his heart and his love and hate for this sport and who at all times left
it all on the court. Yet, keep Justin Gimelstob, a man who never accomplished
much in his professional life, except for what he gained through the
accomplishments of women. We see what the ATP is willing to forgive or nurture,
and to what it is willing to turn a blind eye or fail to imitate for the
better.
I am not surprised, but I am disappointed.
Spin's Picks and What to watch on Day one is below. Enjoy the tennis.
P. Kvitova [8] vs M. Rybarikova
I. Begu vs A. Petkovic
B. Bencic vs K. Siniakova - toss up
Y. Putintseva vs B. Strycova [32]
L. Tsurenko [24] vs E. Alexandrova
M. Niculescu vs A. Anisimova - the youngster impressed in Auckland
K. Boulter vs E. Makarova - impressive losing performance against Serena at Hopman Cup.
A. Kalinskaya vs A. Sabalenka [11]
A. Barty [15] vs L. Kumkhum - may potentially prove to be a blockbuster of a match
E. Perez vs Y. Wang
A. Sharma vs P. Hon
M. Sakkari vs J. Ostapenko [22] - if Sakkari is on her game this will not be an upset, howver, if Ostapenko finds her 2017 French Open form and her backhand ... watch out
M. Sharapova [30] vs H. Dart - If Sharapova is still having shoulder issues then an upset will be in the making. If Dart is healthy she can play her way to victory.
S. Cirstea vs R. Peterson - 2 players with great games but lots of injury issues.
V. Lapko vs J. Larsson
A. Van Uytvanck vs C. Wozniacki [3]
S. Stephens [5] vs T. Townsend
O. Jabeur vs T. Babos
M. Vondrousova vs E. Rodina
H. Watson vs P. Martic [31]
A. Kontaveit [20] vs S. Sorribes Tormo
K. Flipkens vs A. Sasnovich
M. Puig vs A. Pavlyuchenkova
A. Riske vs K. Bertens [9]
J. Goerges [14] vs D. Collins - could be an upset on this one.
Y. Bonaventure vs S. Vickery
B. Mattek-Sands vs Z. Hives
J. Ponchet vs C. Garcia [19]
D. Vekic [29] vs K. Mladenovic
P. Badosa Gibert vs K. Birrell
B. Haddad Maia vs B. Pera
P. Hercog vs A. Kerber [2]
I. Begu vs A. Petkovic
B. Bencic vs K. Siniakova - toss up
Y. Putintseva vs B. Strycova [32]
L. Tsurenko [24] vs E. Alexandrova
M. Niculescu vs A. Anisimova - the youngster impressed in Auckland
K. Boulter vs E. Makarova - impressive losing performance against Serena at Hopman Cup.
A. Kalinskaya vs A. Sabalenka [11]
A. Barty [15] vs L. Kumkhum - may potentially prove to be a blockbuster of a match
E. Perez vs Y. Wang
A. Sharma vs P. Hon
M. Sakkari vs J. Ostapenko [22] - if Sakkari is on her game this will not be an upset, howver, if Ostapenko finds her 2017 French Open form and her backhand ... watch out
M. Sharapova [30] vs H. Dart - If Sharapova is still having shoulder issues then an upset will be in the making. If Dart is healthy she can play her way to victory.
S. Cirstea vs R. Peterson - 2 players with great games but lots of injury issues.
V. Lapko vs J. Larsson
A. Van Uytvanck vs C. Wozniacki [3]
S. Stephens [5] vs T. Townsend
O. Jabeur vs T. Babos
M. Vondrousova vs E. Rodina
H. Watson vs P. Martic [31]
A. Kontaveit [20] vs S. Sorribes Tormo
K. Flipkens vs A. Sasnovich
M. Puig vs A. Pavlyuchenkova
A. Riske vs K. Bertens [9]
J. Goerges [14] vs D. Collins - could be an upset on this one.
Y. Bonaventure vs S. Vickery
B. Mattek-Sands vs Z. Hives
J. Ponchet vs C. Garcia [19]
D. Vekic [29] vs K. Mladenovic
P. Badosa Gibert vs K. Birrell
B. Haddad Maia vs B. Pera
P. Hercog vs A. Kerber [2]
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