"Women tennis players are all sexpots and bitches!!"

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Women tennis players are all sexpots and bitches... U.S. tour director launches amazing sexist rant at Kournikova and Co

 

By Olinka Koster and Julie Moult

Last updated at 6:22 PM on 27th June 2008

 

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Justin Gimelstob has issued a grovelling apology to women tennis stars after his outspoken comments

 

A senior tennis official is at the centre of a sexism row after insulting some of the world's top female players.

Justin Gimelstob, who sits on the board of directors of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which runs men's tennis, described French players Tatiana Golovin and Alize Cornet as 'sexpots.'

And he said 19-year-old Nicole Vaidisova from the Czech Republic, who was playing at Wimbledon yesterday, was a 'well developed young lady'.

Gimelstob, who retired from professional tennis last year, made the derogatory comments on Washington-based morning radio show 'The Junkies' in the run-up to the Grand Slam.

In an hour-long interview, he saved his real vitriol for semi-retired Russian player Anna Kournikova, 27, announcing: 'She's a bitch'.

Asked if he 'hated' the 27-year-old, with whom he trained as a junior, he replied: 'Hate's a very strong word. I just despise her to the maximum level just below hate.'

Gimelstob, 31, who is due to play Miss Kournikova in an exhibition mixed doubles match in Washington next month, went on to say that he wanted to hit her hard with the ball in the midriff whilst serving.

'If she's not crying by the time she walks off the court then I did not do my job,' he said.

Asked if he would ever have an affair with the player-turned-model, he went on: 'Definitely not. I have no attraction to her because she's such a douche. 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. She has a great body but her face is a five.'

 

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Justin Gimelstob described Anna Kournikova (left) as 'a bitch' and French player Alize Cornet (right) as 'a little sexpot'

Gimelstob did say he was attracted to a number of other players on the women's tour.

He said of Nicole Vaidisova, who is ranked 22 in the world: 'She's a well developed young lady', described Miss Golovin, a French player of Russian descent, as a 'sexpot', and said of Miss Cornet, who went out in the first round of Wimbledon: 'She's a little sexpot'.

The 6ft 5in player, who has previously defeated Andre Agassi, also declared: 'Female tennis players lack the social skills, they don't go to high school, they don't go to parties.'

He claimed there were fewer lesbians on the current women's tour than there were 15 years ago, explaining: 'That's because they're all Russian chicks. And there's some other cute ones out there. There's some talent out there.'

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Nicole Vaidisova (left) is 'a well-developed young lady' while Tatiana Golovin (right) is another 'sexpot', according to Gimelstob

 

 

 

Enlarge Smooth operator: Gimelstob poses on court in 2001

 

Gimelstob apologised for his comments on the show, insisting: 'There is no excuse and I am extremely disappointed in myself.

'I take full responsibility for all the words that came out of my mouth, and, while I can't take any of them back, I hope my heartfelt remorse can begin to heal the wounds felt by many.

'Among the targets of my venom was Anna Kournikova, not to mention a general disregard and disrespect toward women.

'They all deserve and have my deepest apologies. While I see how it could be implied by my remarks, I assure you that I have the utmost respect for women.'

An ATP spokesman added: 'The ATP cannot condone any form of intolerance and Justin Gimelstob's comments last week were unacceptable.

'However, Justin has done the right thing in taking full responsibility for his comments by apologising publicly to Anna for what he has rightly described as his disappointing and disrespectful comments.'