Keep up with the latest scores and draws at Wimbledon

When Justin Gimelstob finished a slot last week on The Junkies, a breakfast sports programme broadcast to the residents of Washington DC, it may have dawned on him that he had stepped somewhat beyond the normal, knockabout style of the show.

In between his usual pronouncements on the state of tennis, the American, twice a Grand Slam title winner at mixed doubles and now on the board of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), launched into an extraordinary diatribe in which he labelled Anna Kournikova a “bitch” whom he wanted to harm, and described several other players at Wimbledon as “sexpots”.

Yesterday Gimelstob, 31, was forced to issue an apology to the women’s game and found himself suspended from the professional US tennis league in which he plays.

During the radio interview, Gimelstob, a regular guest on the show, said that that he intended to hurt Kournikova next month, when they are due to meet in an exhibition match in Washington.

“I’m going to serve it right at the body, about 128 [mph], right into her midriff,” he said. “If she’s not crying by the time she comes off court then I did not do my job.”

Asked if that meant he hated the Russian, with whom he trained as a youth player, he replied: “Hate is a very strong word. I just despise her to the maximum level just below hate.” He added that he would not like to sleep with Kournikova, “because she’s such a douche”. Instead, “I wouldn’t mind my brother, who is kind of a stud, nail her and then reap the benefits.”

Exactly what benefits he was hoping to reap were not clear, or whether he had similar hopes regarding Alize Cornet, the French player he said was a “sexpot”, and Nicole Vaidisova, the Czech teenager he described as a “well-developed young lady”.

Unfortunately for Gimelstob, who was elected to the ATP board as a players’ representative one week ago, he plies his trade in World Team Tennis (WTT), a league founded by Billie Jean King, who has somewhat strong views on the subject of feminism.

“Justin Gimelstob’s comments on a recent radio show were clearly inappropriate,” King, the winner of 12 Grand Slam singles titles, said, as Gimelstob was suspended from his post with the Washington Kastles for one match, without pay.

King added: “It sends a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, especially in a league founded on the principles of equal opportunities for all. I have met Justin and discussed the situation and I am confident both he and WTT will move beyond this unfortunate incident.”

Serena Williams, Gimelstob’s teammate at the Kastles, and whose sister, Venus, was Gimelstob’s partner when he won his Grand Slam titles, said that his comments were not professional. She said of his description of Kournikova: “It’s just totally uncalled for. It’s not good to say those things about people.”

In a sport where women have only recently won the right to equal pay at Wimbledon, sexism touches a raw nerve, and the other tennis boards also weighed in. The ATP made it clear that it was “appalled” by his comments, which it termed “disappointing and disrespectful”. A spokesman said: “The ATP cannot condone any form of intolerance.”

A spokesman for the Women’s Tennis Associationsaid: “We believe that he has learnt from this and will not be repeating his behaviour,” adding that the player had apologised personally to Larry Scott, the tour’s CEO.

In the locker room Gimelstob has a reputation as a harmless loudmouth, which was reflected in the reaction of the players he maligned. Vaidisova, 19, who is ranked 22nd in the world, said: “I know Justin, he’s a very nice guy. I know his sense of humour a little bit. I know he kind of talks like that a little bit, so I can cut him some slack.”

Gimelstob issued a statement expressing his “deepest apologies”. He said: “There is no excuse for my actions, and I am extremely disappointed in myself. I take full responsibility for all the words spoken, and, while I can’t take any of them back, I hope my heartfelt remorse can begin to heal any wounds I have caused.

“I do not feel that the views I expressed last week accurately represent the person I am or strive to be. However, I well understand how and why they offended so many people.”

Yesterday Gimelstob was at Wimbledon commentating for the Tennis Channel, a US cable broadcaster, but had no plans to talk to the press about his comments.