Fish backs former doubles partner Gimelstob over assault claims
Mardy Fish, the former world No7, has been drawn into the controversy surrounding ATP Tour board member Justin Gimelstob.
Gimelstob is preparing for a court hearing in Los Angeles today for an alleged assault on venture capitalist Randall Kaplan.
Fish – who reached three grandslam quarter-finals before his retirement in 2015 – is an old friend of Gimelstob and partnered him in ATP doubles tournaments.
Now Fish has submitted an affidavit in support of Gimelstob’s version of events on the evening of Oct 31, when Gimelstob is alleged to have assaulted Kaplan in Los Angeles – an incident for which he is expected to be charged today.
Fish’s testimony was included among the papers at a custody hearing on Nov 29. He stated that he had looked after Gimelstob’s Controversy: Justin Gimelstob will be in court today to hear whether he will be charged four-year-old son during part of the Hallowe’en trick-or-treating ritual, and added that “at no point” did the child seem upset.
Fish did not make any reference to Kaplan or an altercation. But The Daily Telegraph understands that he is likely to be called into court as part of the LA Police Department’s case against Gimelstob, and asked whether he witnessed the incident.
Many in the tennis world will be following today’s events in Los Angeles closely. While Gimelstob has taken a leave of absence from his broadcasting role at the Tennis Channel, he has declined to step down from the ATP board.
In theory, Gimelstob could be removed by the board itself, or by the 10-man ATP player council, which is led by Novak Djokovic. Yet the American No1 John Isner – a member of the player council and former coaching client of Gimelstob – told reporters last week: “I would still support him because he’s innocent until proven guilty.”
Today’s arraignment will reveal whether the district attorney will charge Gimelstob with a misdemeanour or, as expected, the more serious category of felony. If the charge is a felony, it is hard to see Gimelstob being able to travel to the next ATP board meeting in Melbourne next month.