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Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has expressed her dismay at “unprofessional commentary” after a prominent American tennis journalist mocked her appearance during television coverage.
Apparently unaware he was on air, Jon Wertheim said of Krejcikova on the Tennis Channel US network: “Who do you think I am? Barbora Krejcikova? Look at the forehead when Krejcikova and Zheng take the court.”
Krejcikova was taking part in the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia this week, the culmination to the regular women’s season, where she lost to Zheng Qinwen in the semi-finals on Friday.
The clip was quickly circulated on social media, prompting the Czech to write on X: “You might have heard about the recent comments made on Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance.
“As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional commentary. This isn’t the first time something like this is happening in sports world. I’ve often chosen not to speak up, but I believe it’s time to address the need for respect and professionalism in sports media.”
You might have heard about the recent comments made on Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance. As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional (cont.)
— Barbora Krejcikova (@BKrejcikova) November 10, 2024
It is not the first time a broadcaster has been criticised for comments made about a female tennis player’s appearance. In 2013, the BBC apologised after presenter John Inverdale said of French player Marion Bartoli after she had won Wimbledon: “Do you think Bartoli’s dad told her when she was little: ‘You’re never going to be a looker, you’ll never be a [Maria] Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight’?”
Wertheim later posted an apology that read: “During a Tennis Channel studio show on Friday, I made some deeply regrettable comments off-air. I acknowledge them. I apologise for them. I reached out immediately and apologised to the player.
“What happened? I joined the show by Zoom. In rehearsal, we were shown a graphic of a player who had just competed. It showed her at an angle that exaggerated her forehead. A few moments later, I was told to frame up my Zoom. I looked at the low camera angle and joked that it made my forehead resemble the photo of the player in question. Someone in the control room chimed in and I bantered back. Though this was a private rehearsal, this exchange inadvertently, and without context, made it to live air.
“I realise: I am not the victim here. It was neither professional nor charitable nor reflective of the person I strive to be. I am accountable. I own this. I am sorry.”
Krejcikova finished outside the top eight in the world rankings but was given a place at the WTA Finals on account of being a Grand Slam champion.
She received hundreds of supportive messages from tennis fans after posting in response to Wertheim’s comments: “These moments distract from the true essence of sport and the dedication all athletes bring to the field. I love tennis deeply, and I want to see it represented in a way that honours the commitment we make to compete at this level.”
Fresh insult shows sport has not learnt from Inverdale’s crude comments about Bartoli
As one of the more reserved players on the women’s tour, Barbora Krejcikova has never been one for the limelight. Yet the two-time Grand Slam champion found her voice after prominent US commentator Jon Wertheim mocked her and Zheng Qinwen for the size of their foreheads during the Tennis Channel’s coverage of the WTA Finals.
The Wimbledon champion felt compelled to speak up after Wertheim, unaware that the cameras were rolling in the studio, ridiculed both players’ appearances in a hot-mic gaffe which left presenters in the studio red-faced.
“What do you think I am? Barbora Krejcikova?” Wertheim could be heard asking. “Look at the forehead when Krejcikova and Zheng take the court.”
The comment did not go down well with Krejcikova who, in calling for “respect and professionalism” from the media in a lengthy statement on X, rightly noted that the incident was not “the first time something like this is happening in the sports world”.
Wertheim’s clumsy and sexist jibe – which he made thinking he was not on air after cameras briefly flashed back to the studio during coverage of a WTA Finals doubles match – had echoes of the time John Inverdale infamously mocked Marion Bartoli’s physique in 2013 after the Frenchwoman won Wimbledon.
Inverdale’s dinosaur remarks – that Bartoli was “never going to be a looker” – sparked a furore and prompted the BBC to issue a wholehearted apology. He never lived the incident down during his latter years at the corporation.
Men still clearly preoccupied with how female players look
It was an unnecessary, embarrassing moment which should have served as a wake-up call for other broadcasters in tennis, a sport that proclaims to be the most gender-equal despite the occasional scheduling mishap at Grand Slams.
But fast forward nearly a decade, men are still clearly preoccupied with how female players look, rather than instinctively appreciating their athletic ability. It also confirms how, despite the elevated profile women’s sport now enjoys, female bodies are still needlessly policed, while their male counterparts are routinely glorified.
Nobody ridicules Jack Grealish for having massive calves, which are revered as his very own super-strength. In a similar vein, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya is practically marvelled as a superhuman for his gigantic hands. Yet for women, their bodies and appearances are viewed through a negative prism whenever they step into the sporting arena.
Wertheim’s own blunder comes just three months after Eurosport removed Bob Ballard from its commentary team at the Paris Olympics after he made a sexist remark about Australia’s female swimmers, saying the 4x100m freestyle team were “hanging around, doing their make-up” after they won gold.
Just last week, one male commentator was slammed for his sexist remarks after saying Lioness Ella Toone had a “face like a slapped bum” after the Manchester United midfielder was substituted in her side’s Women’s Super League clash with Arsenal.
In taking issue with Krejcikova’s and Zheng’s appearance, Wertheim’s remarks had shades of those who regularly attacked the former British Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington over the size of her nose.
As an experienced pundit in his field, he should have known better, but this latest incident is a galling reminder of how women have to work double hard to earn the same level of respect as their male counterparts.