Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka has accused the ATP of passing the buck when it came to the removal of Justin Gimelstob, who reigned from his post earlier this week.
Gimelstob, who had served as a player representative for 11 years, stepped down from his post following an assault case he was involved him. The former player pleaded ‘no contest’ to an attack on his former friend last Halloween. Resulting in him receiving a 60-day community service, three-year suspended sentence and 52 weeks of anger management classes.
Throughout the court case, Gimelstob remained on the ATP board. Meaning that he was eligible to vote on the removal of CEO Chris Kermode despite the legal proceedings. Something that has drawn criticism from some, including Wawrinka. The former world No.3 has blasted the management of the governing body of men’s tennis in a letter sent to The Times on Friday.
“My fellow players on the council should never have been put in the position where they had responsibility for deciding whether Justin should have remained in his position. It is the duty of the board representatives to lead by example and protect the players. They (the ATP board) should have immediately managed this controversy. Instead they shamefully voted in December for Justin to continue with his duties.” Wawrinka wrote.
“Many players feel that they were not represented properly throughout the last few months, during which so much has happened politically. I agree with them. I do not want to be associated with anyone who played a part in this, let alone be represented by them. I want to be represented by people with clear, strong ethical values.”
The 34-year-old has said he is concerned about the ‘worrying decline in moral standards’ in men’s tennis. Wawrinka is only of a handful of player’s to publicly speak out about Gimelstob. Andy Murray has also said that he could no longer continue in his current position.
“There is no place in our sport for those who behave like Justin. The lack of responses from people involved in the game, particularly at the beginning of this saga, when he was charged last December, was alarming. This is a situation where silence amounts to complicity.”
The removal of Kermode
Furthermore, Wawrinka has also once again criticised the decision to remove Chris Kermode later this year. Arguing that the problem with the ATP is the people and not the current structure. It is understood that the player council voted in favour for the removal of Kermode, however, members agreed to keep the results private. President Novak Djokovic has been labelled as one of the main driving forces behind Kermode’s removal. Although he has never publicly called for new leadership.
Speaking briefly about Djokovic in his letter, the Swiss No.2 cited the questionable levels of communication between him and other high-profile members not on the council. Both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have previously said there was a lack of communication concerning Kermode. However, some argue they should have made more of an effort to contact the council.
“The decision to end Kermode’s reign has baffled many players as, under his stewardship since 2014, the tour has experienced record prize money and commercial growth.” Wawrinka stated.
“Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal voiced their concerns about a lack of consultation from Novak Djokovic, who as president of the player council was an ally of Gimelstob in the plot to remove Kermode.”
As a result, it is unclear as to who will be the next CEO of the ATP. As for Gimelstob, his replacement will be elected in Rome on May 14th. A reported 15 people have expressed interest in serving on the board with the final decision up to the Player Council.
