Justin Gimelstob took a leave of absence from the Tennis Channel to face a felony battery charge, where he allegedly punched a man 50 times in the head and threatened to kill him, but he has maintained his activities as an ATP board member.
Today Gimelstsob will cast a vote on the future of ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode.
There are speculations that Gimelstob wants Kermode’s job and could be first in line for the coveted hiring if Kermode is voted out.
This is a major news story that only Simon Briggs of London has been covering. It hasn’t been mentioned by Tennis Channel so far during it’s Indian Wells coverage.
It’s astounding that political opinion peddlers like Mary Carillo, Martina Navratilova and Jon Wertheim are laying off the Gimelstob story.
And you have to wonder at this point, had Gimelstob killed or punched poor Randy Kaplan into a coma, would the tennis media and tennis world still be protecting and defending Gimelstob?
ATP · Felony Battery · Gimelstob · Kermode
Hartt · March 7, 2019 at 3:57 pm
I know Stephanie Myles does not have the same big readership as someone like Jon Wertheim, but she did do an extensive piece on the Chris Kermode situation, and pointed out some of the cozy relationships among some of the key players in this political conflict.
https://tennis.life/2019/03/07/kermode-decision-atp-thursday-gimelstob/
Hartt · March 7, 2019 at 4:02 pm
It looks like the anti-Kermode forces got their way:
“Chris Kermode’s contract as ATP president won’t be renewed after the players’ representatives on the ATP board failed to endorse him at today’s meeting. Kermode finishes at the end of the year. Suspect there will be some blowback from this decision” (Simon Briggs)
Scoop Malinowski · March 7, 2019 at 5:31 pm
Very strange situation. It seems Kermode deserves more respect. The ATP is in strong shape, there are many stars still in the game and many more developing fast. Why this urgency to unseat Kermode makes little sense except for the power hungry who want his powerful position.
Scoop Malinowski · March 7, 2019 at 5:35 pm
Venus just won a three setter vs Petkovic but her reaction was zero, no joy, no passion, but she got through it. It’s like she’s tired of the mundane routines of the sport but she can’t escape it. She just keeps playing because it’s in her heart and soul. And she still does it well. I’ve seen 70 year olds at the park who play with more passion and intensity than Venus.
Hartt · March 7, 2019 at 5:57 pm
It sounds like some players thought they would get a better deal, a bigger share of the profits, from the tournaments with a new ATP head. I have a sneaky suspicion they will be disappointed. When someone new is in place it will take time for him to even get settled into the job. But the basic problem, the way the ATP board is split evenly between the players and the tourneys, has not changed.
Scoop Malinowski · March 7, 2019 at 6:26 pm
The players have never earned more. Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have all earned over $100m. Isn’t that enough? A guy like Tomic says he has $20m in the bank. Not enough?
catherine · March 8, 2019 at 2:05 am
Scoop – for certain types of people, not just in pro sports, enough money is never enough.
H · March 8, 2019 at 7:13 am
The top players certainly earn enough, but there is a problem for lower-ranked players. From what I’ve read, players ranked outside of the top 100 don’t make a lot of $ after expenses. And players outside of the top 200 may not even break even after expenses. Tennis needs to ensure that there is sufficient prize $ in Challengers for promising young players to stay in tennis while they work their way up the rankings.
I think the powers that be should do a lot more to promote Challengers, they often have good players and entertaining matches, but with just a tiny crowd watching.
Scoop Malinowski · March 8, 2019 at 7:45 am
Hartt, you would not believe it but some serious name players who we all know, have to give lessons on weekends to make extra money. You would not believe the names. But that’s the way it is for the guys who fall out of the top 100 or 200 or 300. Challengers just don’t sell well. They have a nice one here in Sarasota but it keeps bouncing around to different locations, four in the last seven years. For whatever reason, the huge tennis community just does not support the event as well as you would expect. Fans are brainwashed to want to see stars and only stars but some of the best matches involve non stars. Tennis has to be able to get this idea across to fans, that stars are great but the sport of tennis is greater. The ATP stars are not bigger than the sport itself. Sell the sport not just the stars. Not easy to do but it can be done I believe.
catherine · March 8, 2019 at 8:52 am
Scoop – this has been a talking point since tennis went Open. It’s a competitive sport and most people want to see the top players. Fact of life. Afficionados will watch Challengers but they’re a minority. Tournaments for low ranked players have to be subsidised because they aren’t going to make money. By whom and for how much is the big question. You won’t see top players forking out even indirectly for their lowly ranked brothers and sisters.
Re Anasimova – Krunic didn’t give her much of a fight in that match and I’m not sure about her. I was keen on Yastremska for a while and she’s now losing all over the place. Sabalenka next for the trapdoor I suppose.
catherine · March 8, 2019 at 8:56 am
Sorry – my Anasimova comments belong on the previous thread.
Hartt · March 8, 2019 at 9:14 am
Apparently the Challengers in western Canada – Winnipeg, Calgary and of course Vancouver, do well in attracting fans. The Vancouver one recently upgraded its facilities, and was voted the best Challenger by the players. Those locations have an advantage in that the only tour level event in Canada is the Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal, some distance away, so they don’t have a lot of competition for fans. Especially since the Davis Cup isn’t really in the mix any longer.
But I wonder what those tournaments do to attract fans? They must be doing something right.