Keith Evans: “I dont know Justin all that well, what I will never forget is that we were very excited to give him a wildcard because he made a last minute decision to play my challenger in Tunica. I called the Memphis newspapers and TV immediately to promote that he was coming. He was my number 2 seed because he was ranked somewhere close to 150 ATP. His coach at the time was a friend of mine and former doubles partner of mine Brandon Couple. I rolled out the Red Carpet for Justin, picking him up from the Memphis Airport in a white stretch limousine that was to take him to his Presidential Suite at the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino on the top floor. The next day he comes in for practice and we try and take care of him as much as we possibly could take care of our no. 2 seed. He draws Brian Vahaly first round and loses 1-6 7-6 6-7. He then goes back to his suite and has his coach call me to tell me he is defaulting his doubles match and getting out of town as fast as he can. Never calls me once thanking me for anything I did. I will NEVER forget that.”
Here are two stories about Justin Gimelstob not appreciating people doing him favors. Is there a pattern? Is he an ingrate? Let you be the judge…
I also remember a similar story told by the US Open locker room manager of Gimelstob ingratitude. He arrived to the US Open locker room for his match but somehow forgot his socks. He had no socks to play a Grand Slam match. The locker room manager managed to find socks for him and gave them to Justin who just took them and didn’t even say thank you.
Dan Markowitz · December 1, 2018 at 10:30 pm
Unfortunately, I don’t know how much of Gimel’s behavior is different from other tennis pros. When I knew Justin early in his career, he was friendly and twice invited out to Jersey, once to do a story on his training regimen where i actually did the workout side by side with Justine and another time for his charity where Todd Martin and Lindsay Davenport were both playing.
Is he high-strung? Yes. Does he come from a very wealthy family? Yes, but still this last behavior where he attacked someone in front of his wife and small child is shocking.
Scoop Malinowski · December 2, 2018 at 8:03 am
Yes, Dan you won’t know about his true character, his true colors, he will try to hide that from public display. But these incidents prove there is a sense of entitlement and arrogance. Yes he can be charming and friendly and a great interview, he really knows the game inside and out. he really has become an excellent TV analyst commentator, I picked him as one of my favorites in the recent media survey. Maybe he needed to be humbled through this incident. “The humble shall be exalted and the exalted shall be humbled.”
Dan Markowitz · December 2, 2018 at 8:02 pm
The more you hear about Gimel, the less appealing he becomes. Another friend of his ex-wife filed a no-contact protection order against the New Jersey-flash. Last year, in a paddle tennis tournament, Gimel apparently crossed over the net and put his hands on the throat of one of his opponents. The ATP management group headed by Djokovic, can apparently vote him off the board by a 6-4 count, but Gimel really should step down and clear his name before trying to stay on the board, but he won’t do that.
Ugh!
Scoop Malinowski · December 3, 2018 at 8:12 am
He should have been arrested for assault when he put his hands on the opponent. This guy is a ticking time bomb. Still no prominent tennis or tennis media figures are condemning Gimelstob. You have to wonder what leverage Gimelstob has on other prominent figures in tennis regarding corruption for everyone to be afraid to talk? That fired ATP chair ump Magli Somat from Egypt keeps posting on facebook that there is far more corruption at the higher levels of ATP though he offers nothing except the sexual harassment allegations against top officials that were covered up.
Scoop Malinowski · December 3, 2018 at 9:02 pm
More Gimelstob poor sportsmanship: Ryan Rader He has always been that way from my experience. He beat me in a match at nationals tournament and spit on my when we shook hands. I was in shock and we were only 12 but I never forget what a poor sport and spoiled brat he was even though he won the match.
Dan Markowitz · December 4, 2018 at 7:49 am
Geez, if I ever saw my son spit on an opponent after a match, I’d dock him from playing for a month. That’s ridiculous. I wonder what Gimel’s alibi is for sneaking up behind a guy in a Halloween costume and bonking him over the head in front of his wife and toddler? Gimel looks like he’s finally broken apart.
Scoop Malinowski · December 5, 2018 at 8:59 am
Another example of Gimelstob’s insane behavior: USTA announcer said he saw Gimelstob make a 70 year old volunteer ballboy cry. Said it was the worst thing he ever saw on a tennis court.
Will lose all respect for the ATP and Tennis Channel if they protect this insane jackass who obviously needs professional help and to get the shi7 kicked out of him. I might do it myself.
Dan Markowitz · December 5, 2018 at 10:42 am
That’s a fight I want to see: Scoop v Gimel! No, but you see Izzie supporting Gimel, saying he still believes in and Hewitt, calling for Gimel’s ouster from the ATP board, was just being “arrogant,” because Baby Huey had his infamous moment too when he called linesman racist in his USO match against Blake.
Kevin Valentine · December 5, 2018 at 11:44 am
Does anyone see a similarity b/w Gimelstob and OJ? Charismatic sports figure/hidden, violent streak/sports community willing to look the other way?
Scoop Malinowski · December 5, 2018 at 11:48 am
Exactly Kevin, good point. Hopefully Gimelstob doesn’t kill anybody. Well, his brother did via vehicular manslaughter. Who knows if that was actually intentional. Nothing would surprise me. To pick on and make a 70 year old man cry has to be the all time worst kind of bullying I ever heard of. I question Isner’s sanity also for supporting Gimelstob. Wonder if Gimelstob has any deep secrets about isner that he can’t afford to risk coming out?
Dan Markowitz · December 5, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Scoop, why is there always a conspiracy lurking in your brain? Izzie is a pretty upstanding guy. I think his backing of Gimel, at least for now until the facts fully come out, is a plus for Gimel because if a guy like Izzie likes you or thinks highly of you, then there’s a good chance you might be a good guy.
I don’t think that’s the case with Gimel, although he is a guy who can be very friendly, witty and caring, but also obviously has a dark side, like many of us, but he’s acted out on his dark side. Who’s the 70-year-old he attacked? The friend of his wife I get the feeling is a guy around Gimel’s age, 40-ish.
Look, Lindsay Davenport who’s also like Izzie, an upstanding citizen and tennis queen, once had Gimel be her manager so clearly Gimel is talented at what he does (not so much as a pro tennis player though) and people like him.
Is he tennis’s OJ? I don’t think so because what OJ did was so over the top and the tennis equivalent to OJ would certainly not be a journeyman player like Gimel.
Scoop Malinowski · December 5, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Dan I question everything, I take nothing at face value anymore. I like the quotation: Believe nothing of what you read and hear and only half of what you see. Sure, you have to credit Isner’s loyalty to Gimelstob but in this world we have to consider all options and possible reasons. Personally I like Gimelstob, always been nice to me and done some good interviews for my books and other stuff. I think he’s one of the best TV commentators. His friend told me today Gimel told him he’s going through the worst divorce of all time and on top of that, then his dad dies, who knows what the state of their relationship was when he suddenly died. He might have snapped because those are two traumatic things to have to deal with, a nasty divorce and the death of a parent. But it does not excuse bullying a 70 year old volunteer ballboy to crying. Mike Cation is the one who witnessed and revealed this debacle.