Tennis Channel analyst Jon Wertheim has been suspended by the network after making an inappropriate comment on the air about the appearance of reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková.
Wertheim, who apparently did not realize he was live on-air, said to his Tennis Channel colleagues, “Who do you think I am, Barbora Krejčíková? Look at the forehead when Krejčíková and Jon take the court.”
In an apology posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Wertheim attempted to provide the context surrounding his comment. “What happened?” Wertheim posed. “I joined the show by Zoom. In rehearsal we were shown a graphic of a player who had just competed. It showed her at an angle that exaggerated her forehead. A few moments later, I was told to frame up my Zoom. I looked at the low camera angle and joked that it made my forehead resemble the photo of the player in question.”
A tennis twitter apology: pic.twitter.com/HT81C2CLeQ
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) November 10, 2024
Nevertheless, Wertheim owned up to his comments. “I realize: I am not the victim here. It was neither professional nor charitable nor reflective of the person I strive to be. I am accountable. I own this. I am sorry.” The Tennis Channel analyst also reached out to Krejčíková for an apology.
Tennis Channel released a statement on Sunday outlining the nature of Wertheim’s suspension.
“When Tennis Channel became aware of an inappropriate comment about a professional tennis player made by our analyst Jon Wertheim on Friday, we immediately removed him from our air indefinitely. The network also apologized to the player, Barbora Krejčíková, as did Jon. Jon has dedicated his career to shining a light on and growing this sport and has been a valued member of our family and the tennis community. That said, Tennis Channel holds its employees to a standard of respectfulness for others at all times, a standard that was not met in this moment.”
Outside of his duties on Tennis Channel, Wertheim also serves as a correspondent on CBS News’ flagship program 60 Minutes. It’s unclear whether his role on that show will be impacted over his hot mic comments.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.