Jon Wertheim has been removed from Tennis Channel’s broadcasts indefinitely after controversial comments he made about Barbora Krejcikova’s physical appearance at the WTA Tour Finals. Wimbledon champion Krejickova criticised Wertheim for “unprofessional commentary” and claims she was shown a lack of respect.
Ahead of Tennis Channel’s broadcast of Friday’s WTA Finals action commencing, a clip shows the journalist – who had joined via video call – asking other guests: “What do you think I am? Barbora Krejcikova? Look at the forehead when Krejcikova and Zheng [Qinwen] take the court.”
Tennis Channel have announced that Wertheim has been removed from their coverage indefinitely.
A statement read: “When Tennis Channel became aware of an inappropriate comment about a professional tennis player made by our analyst Jon Wertheim on Friday, we immediately removed him from our air indefinitely.
“The network also apologised to the player, Barbora Krejcikova, as did Jon. Jon has dedicated his career to shining a light on and growing this sport and has been a valued member of our family and the tennis community.
“That said, Tennis Channel holds its employees to a standard of respectfulness for others at all times, a standard that was not met in this moment.”
Krejcikova gave herself 48 hours before responding to the comments on Sunday morning. She wrote on a thread on X: “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.
“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.”
Wertheim claims he apologised to Krejcikova as soon as he was made aware that the clip had been made public. He says that the comments were made during a rehearsal and were not meant to be played on-air.
“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,” Wertheim said on X.
“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.”
