Tennis Channel commentator Jon Wertheim has been suspended after insulting a player’s appearance on the air.
Wertheim, who is also a “60 Minutes” correspondent, poked fun at Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova’s face on Friday during a report on her WTA Finals match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Wertheim said he was connected via Zoom and bothered by a camera angle that made his forehead look big, prompting a rude comment that he didn’t realize was being broadcast.
“Who do you think I am, Barbora Krejcikova?” Wertheim said in the hot-mic moment. “Look at the forehead when Krejcikova and Zheng take the court. Eight-head.”
Krejcikova, who lost to Zheng Qinwen in the semifinal, got wind of Wertheim’s remarks. The Czech Republic athlete, the world No. 10, called out Wertheim for “unprofessional commentary.”
“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,” she wrote on X, the former Twitter. “These moments distract from the true essence of sport and the dedication all athletes bring to the field. ”
Wertheim posted a lengthy note on X about the circumstances of his remark, and said that he’d apologized to Krejcikova.
“I realize: I am not the victim here,” he wrote. “It was neither professional nor charitable nor reflective of the person I strive to be. I am accountable. I own this. I am sorry.”
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Wertheim will remain off the air indefinitely.
“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,” the Tennis Channel said in a statement to the New York Post. “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.”
