John Inverdale, for example ...

[Wuldric]

Women get judged by how they look rather than by how they perform. This comment by John Inverdale has me seething. How is it even remotely acceptable in this day and age?

[GetStuffezd]

Is he saying that "beauty" is required to be a natural athlete?

[Dolallytats]

I just read the Twitter page. I am so shocked at the comments. It is a seriously disturbed world we live in when so many people make comments like that based on appearance.

Does she eat babies before a tennis match or are the comments really because she is not 'pretty' (whatever that is).

I despair...

[TheDoctrineOfAllan]

How can you poke fun in a nice way about how someone looks?

Yes you can talk about how their build, height etc affects their game (Agassi the returner vs Sampras the server, for example) but that has fuck all to do with hair colour, looks etc.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

?We poked fun, in a nice way, about how she looks, but Marion Bartoli is an incredible role model.?

What a huge stinky worm-ridden poo this man is.

[Crumbledwalnuts]

Maybe I can poke fun at his looks in a nice way. He looks like a gorilla, has the fleshy lips of a giant clam, the skin of an Artexed bathroom ceiling and the shape of a cow which was grown in a barrel.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Why does the BBC employ such people?. Another overpaid middle aged idiot spouting off. This too on the back of the Andy Murray interview debacle.

[TheDoctrineOfAllan]

Name, I think he meant she's not long and lean. But Venus and Serena are very different body types and he doesn't talk crap about them!

[TSSDNCOP]

The BBC simply must act on this. The comment was not insensitive. It was sexist straight up and down.

If Sky can act to sack Andy Gray, the BBC which is a nationalised organisation with its reputation already in the toilet must act NOW.

Inverdale must be sacked and an unequivocal statement of apology issued to the Women's Wimbledon Champion-an achievement greater than any Inverdale may hope to claim.

[TheFallenNinja]

I despair at stuff like this and how common it is for individuals STILL believing that to say this is in some way harmless fun, there always seems to be a bit of a "in the good old days" undertone to these people.

Undoubtedly he'll lose his job but pop up somewhere else.

[poorbuthappy]

If Andy Murray wins today I look forward to John Inverdale telling him he's not as good looking as Nadal.

[Thisisaeuphemism]

Excellent point, poor but happy.

[tribpot]

Quite unbelievable. A comment about height giving some athletes a natural advantage is one thing (Murray had to beat someone of gigantic proportions, did he not?). A comment 'in good fun' might have been about her fist-pumping or about her style of play.

I am very pleased to see that Bartoli is able to shrug it off - I somehow doubt I would give the tiniest shite if I'd just won Wimbledon either - but WTF! I've never heard one of the commentators remark that Federer's a bit of alright and that is a quality required for 'the natural athlete'.

Complaint to Beeb coming up.

[Thisisaeuphemism]

Yeah he seems to have confused the words 'tall' and 'looker' easy mistake eh?!

[NicholasTeakozy]

Inverdale later said he had poked fun "in a nice way at how she looks".

He added: "She is an incredible role model for people who aren't born with all the attributes of natural athletes".

That quote made my jaw drop. You can't really believe that a supposed professional broadcaster would come out with such drivel.

[LineRunner]

I complained to the BBC about the original comments, the BBC's response, Inverdale's later comments, and the fact that he is still representing the BBC.

[LineRunner]

(The online form is pretty quick.)

[YoniMatopoeia]

What a cock he is.

[TommeeTipsy]

If he had made a comment about a player's race then the right on BBC would I think have sacked him. But a woman's looks are fair game.

We were talking about this at my running group this morning and how we should all go home and hide as none of us are 6ft blondes.

Is he going to comment on the men's match today? He ruins 5live coverage for me.

[SixPackWellies]

have also complained.

Apologising for him is a joke.

[KaseyM]

It's the misogyny behind those tweets that really gets me. How can they feel such hatred for someone based on looks? And why do they constantly view sex as a way to humiliate a woman?

It's actually scary that there are men out there secretly hating us.

Bartolli was so gracious in her response. John Inverdale is an idiot.

[Darkesteyes]

Horrified at this. How on earth are we supposed to tell our young daughters/sisters/nieces. who may be being bullied at school "dont worry it does get better" when it is as plain as day thanks to Inverdale Andy Grey et al that it DOESNT get better.
So it was nasty sexist mysogynistic AND irresponsible.

Marion Bartoli is amazing Many congratulations to her for achieving her goal and winning Wimbledon. And for handling the mysogynistic shit with grace and dignity.

[LittleAbruzzenBear]

I'm going to complain to the BBC too. Thanks for the tip about the online form line.

[Deffodil]

He's a twerp to voice his opinion,especially as she seems a sweetheart,but how many times has Wayne Rooney been slagged off for his looks?