After Jon Wertheim made comments regarding the appearance of the current Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova on-air, the Tennis Channel suspended him.
Zheng Qinwen defeated Krejcikova in the semifinals of this week’s WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, Wertheim mentioned Krejcikova’s forehead while covering the event on Friday. On social media on Saturday, the two-time Grand Slam champion expressed her disappointment at this kind of unsophisticated remarks.
The Tennis Channel apologized to Krejcikova on Sunday and said it had immediately removed Wertheim from on-air duties indefinitely.
Recently, the WTA issued a statement defending Krejcikova and wrote on X: “There is no place in sport for inappropriate comments about female athletes. The WTA stands in full support of Barbora’s powerful call for respect. This should be the norm for all women in all working environments. Respect is due as a right, not a privilege to be earned.”
Statement from the WTA:
There is no place in sport for inappropriate comments about female athletes. The WTA stands in full support of Barbora’s powerful call for respect. This should be the norm for all women in all working environments. Respect is due as a right, not a…
— wta (@WTA) November 10, 2024
Barbora Krejcikova in 2024
LWWLLWLLLW Ranked world no.10, the Czech played her last match on the 8th of November when she was defeated by world no.5 Qinwen Zheng 6-3 7-5 in the semifinal in Riyadh (draw).
Until now, during this year Barbora has managed to achieve a compiled 21-16 record. The Czech clinched 1 title in Wimbledon.
