Three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka echoed on Tuesday Andy Murray’s calls for Justin Gimelstob to quit his role on the Association of Tennis Professionals board after the American was sentenced following assault charges.
“Players need to speak out. Justin Gimelstob has been convicted of a violent assault. It simply can not be possible for anyone to condone this type of behaviour and worse support it. In any other business or sport we would not be discussing this,” the Australian Open, US Open and French Open champions tweeted.
“The council @ATP_Tour need to do something about this and finally end this conversation and shameful period in our great sport,” the Swiss former world number three added.
Gimelstob, himself an ex-professional tennis player, pleaded no contest to felony battery charges and was given three years’ probation and 60 hours of community service by a Los Angeles court on April 22.
Murray told the UK’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper last weekend: “I don’t see how, with everything that has gone on, how it’s possible for him to remain in a position of authority or management at the ATP right now.”
Gimelstob, 41, was in court following an incident in October last year that saw him accused of attacking former friend Randall Kaplan while the venture capitalist, his wife and their two-year-old daughter were trick-or-treating on Halloween.
Kaplan had sought a restraining order against Gimelstob following the attack, alleging the former tennis star had struck him more than 50 times while threatening to kill him.
Gimelstob was also ordered to undergo 52 weeks of anger management classes.
Following the verdict, several former players – including Martina Navratilova and Pat Cash – have suggested Gimelstob should not continue with his ATP role.
Meanwhile the All England Club, which runs Wimbledon, announced last week they would ban Gimelstob from attending the Royal Box on Centre Court during this year’s Championships and the invitational doubles tournament in which he had previously taken part.
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