Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren has apologised for writing a post on Twitter in which he said his ‘eyes were bleeding’ after visiting a gay club.
The American world No.97 has come under fire for a series of remarks made on Twitter in recent year’s and he has been forced to deny that he supports the alt-right. A movement that features neo-nazis and white supremacists. In reference to homosexuality, he tweeted in December 2012 negative remarks about a gay club he ‘stumbled into.’ Saying that his eyes were ‘bleeding’ and referring to transsexual people as ‘trannies.’
A receipt of how Sandgren thinks of and views us LGBTQ folks.
h/t: @CCSMOOTH13 @jusxtennis @queendjokosmash pic.twitter.com/MAmPlZadWI
— Jonathan Newman (@Tennis_Jon) January 22, 2018
One Twitter user asked the American player why it was a bad experience for him. Sandgren replied saying that he didn’t know the area and people ‘hissed at him multiple times’ when he was at the venue.
In the wake of the controversy, Sandgren has deleted over 3000 tweets from his Twitter account, which has over 12,000 followers. On Thursday he issued a statement apologising specifically about his remarks about the gay club. Describing his words as ‘poor and harsh.’
“In regards to the gay club tweet from 2012, I used poor and harsh words to describe a bad experience, and is not indicative of how I feel about the people in that community. To everyone I offended with that, please accept my apology.” He wrote on social media.
Earlier in the week, former world No.1 Serena Williams called from Sandgren to apologise to the people he has offended. Following Williams’ loss to Sloane Stephens at the 2013 Australian Open, he wrote that it is always ‘a good day when Serena goes down.’ There were also allegations that he called the multiple grand slam champion disgusting, but they were proved to be incorrect. He was being critical of her screaming towards Roberta Vinci during one of her matches.
@TennysSandgren I don't need or want one. But there is a entire group of people that deserves an apology. I cant look at my daughter and tell her I sat back and was quiet. No! she will know how to stand up for herself and others- through my example. ✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/im2NhoMdN4
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) January 24, 2018
Following his loss to Hyeon Chung at the Australian Open, Sandgren hit out at the media. Saying that they have ‘dehumanised’ him as a person. During a statement read in his press conference, he said that the stories about him has been sensationalised. Claiming they have been created by journalists using ‘propaganda machines instead of researching information.’
“You seek to put people in these little boxes so that you can order the world in your already assumed preconceived ideas,” he said. “You strip away any individuality for the sake of demonising by way of the collective.
“With a handful of follows and some likes on Twitter, my fate has been sealed in your minds. To write an edgy story, to create sensationalist coverage, there are a few lengths you wouldn’t go to to mark me as the man you desperately want me to be.
“You would rather perpetuate propaganda machines instead of researching information from a host of angles and perspectives while being willing to learn, change, and grow.”
Sandgren is set to break into the world’s top 60 next week following his run in Melbourne. Becoming the sixth highest ranked American player on the men’s tour.
