Venus ‘guerrilla’ flap gets ESPN voice booted

MELBOURNE, Australia — An ESPN commentator has been dropped from coverage of the Australian Open and has apologized for how he spoke about Venus Williams’ play in the second round, saying he was describing her aggressive style as “guerrilla” tactics and not comparing her with a “gorilla.”

Former tennis pro Doug Adler on Thursday said he was speaking about Williams’ tactics and strategy and “simply and inadvertently chose the wrong word to describe her play.”

Adler was doing play-by-play for Williams’ match against Stefanie Voegele, saying Williams was playing more aggressively after Voegele missed serves. After Voegele faulted, Adler described Williams as moving in and charging with a “gorilla effect” or “guerrilla effect.” The words “gorilla” and “guerrilla” are pronounced similarly, so it’s impossible to say which Adler spoke.

The remark sparked quick reaction on Twitter. In a statement, ESPN said it had pulled Adler from the broadcasts.

“During an Australian Open stream on ESPN3, Doug Adler should have been more careful in his word selection. He apologized and we have removed him from his remaining assignments,” the statement read.