US broadcaster ESPN has dropped commentator Doug Adler after he compared Venus Williams to a “gorilla” at the Australian Open, although he insisted the word he used was “guerrilla”.
“During an Australian Open stream on ESPN3, Doug Adler should have been more careful in his word selection,” said an ESPN statement. “He apologised and we have removed him from his remaining assignments.”
During the second-round match on Wednesday, Adler, a 59-year-old former player, said: “She [Voegele] misses a first serve and Venus is all over her. You see Venus move in and put the gorilla effect on. Charging.”
Viewers were quick to register their distaste on social media, while tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg called it “appalling stuff”.
“Horrifying that the Williams sisters remained subjected to it still in 2017,” he tweeted.
A report on the ESPN website said: “Because the words gorilla and guerrilla are pronounced similarly, it’s impossible to say for certain which word Adler spoke.”
