It appears that the controversy-stricken Justin Gimelstob is going to fight for his position on the ATP Board despite growing calls for him to step down immediately.
The 42-year-old recently pleaded no contest to the assault of former friend Randall Kaplan. A legal term where the offender pleads neither guilty or not guilty in return for a less severe sentence. On October 31st Kaplan alleged that Gimelstob ‘’punched him in the head and face more than 50 times’ in front of his wife and young daughter. During the trial, Kaplan’s wife said she suffered a miscarriage as a result of the stress caused by the incident. Last week the former American player was issued with a 60-day community service, a three-year probation and 52 weeks in anger management.
Gimelstob is currently serving as one of the three player representatives for the powerful ATP Board. On May 14th the Player’s council, which is headed by world No.1 Novak Djokovic, will vote on his future of the role. He faces a tough time trying to maintain his role within the governing body of men’s tennis. Besides the battery charge, he has been involved in other controversies in the past.
“It is important to know that there have been no findings and determinations by a trier of fact that Mr. Gimelstob is guilty of committing any crime. There was no trial; there was solely Mr. Gimelstob’s ‘no contest’ plea.” Lawyer Shawn Holley wrote said in a letter sent to the ATP on April 28th.
In a four-page document submitted by Holley, he has now hit out at the statements made by Kaplan and his family during the trial. Saying that he objected on numerous occasions to what was said and no cross-contamination took place. This was due to the no contest plea, which Gimelstob opted to do in the hope of ‘minimising the media scrutiny.’
“The single charge brought by the district attorney against Mr Gimelstob was punishable as either a misdemeanour or the more serious charge of a felony. It is crucial to recognize that both the District Attorney and the court – after considering all the information, which did not even include Mr Gimelstob’s statement of what occurred – determined that Mr Firstobs conduct only amounted to a misdemeanour.” The letter reads.
The full letter
As more players & insiders call for Gimelstob's ouster, his attorney sends letter to ATP Board & player council emphasizing that Kaplans' statements weren't made under oath or subject to cross-examination. Letter attempts to contextualize court use of term "legally unprovoked" pic.twitter.com/lkeoQTGzT3
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) April 30, 2019
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Wawrinka weighs in
Despite efforts to save Gimelstob’s role within the ATP, more people have come out against him. On Tuesday, Stan Wawrinka became one of the first high-profile players to publicly call for his dismissal. Branding the current situation as ‘a shameful period in our sport.’
“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.” Wawrinka wrote.
“The ATP council needs to do something about this and finally end this conversation and shameful period in our great sport.”
Wawrinka’s comments follows that made by Andy Murray over the weekend. Former world No.1 Murray said he doesn’t understand how Gimelstob could continue as a player representative.
“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.” He said.
Neither Wawrinka or Murray is on the Player’s council, who will make the decision concerning the future of Gimelstob. One member, Vasek Pospisil, previously said in a statement to tennis.life ‘If he (Gimelstob) were to run again for that position, myself and the players of the tour would be fortunate to have him for another term.’ However, that part of Pospisil’s statement has since been deleted for unknown reasons.
Amid the controversy, a series of notable figures have come forward to seek to replace Gimelstob on the ATP Board. Ranging from former top 10 player Tim Mayotte to Brad Gilbert. Gilbert has previously worked as a coach alongside the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. It has also been reported that Grigor Dimitrov’s coach Dani Vallverdu has expressed interest. However, Mayotte is the only person to declare his intention publicly.
I am excited to announce I am running for the ATP Board of Directors. Help the players and grow the game in a healthy way. They go together!
— Tim Mayotte (@TimMayotte) April 28, 2019
Gimelstob and his challengers required a majority of backing from the 10-member player’s council.
