London: The head of the women&rsquo;s professional tennis tour has criticised Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky for anti-gay comments he reportedly made in an interview.
<img title="Sergiy Stakhovsky" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/jul/12Sergiy-Stakhovsky.jpg" alt="Sergiy Stakhovsky" /> Sergiy Stakhovsky
Stakhovsky, 29, is said to have told an interviewer he would not encourage his daughter to take up tennis because the women&rsquo;s tour contains a high proportion of lesbian players.
According to the Women&rsquo;s Tennis Association (WTA), Stakhovsky is quoted by Ukrainian sports website XSport.ua as saying: &ldquo;On the WTA tour, almost every other player is a lesbian. Can you imagine &mdash; half of them. So I for sure won&rsquo;t send my daughter to play tennis.&rdquo;
He is also quoted in the interview as saying the &ldquo;backbone&rdquo; of the top 100 in the men&rsquo;s Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) tour features no gay players.
The comments prompted WTA chairman and chief executive Stacey Allaster to respond, saying: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s sad to think in this day and age there are people who are narrow minded and speak derisively about women based on sexual orientation.
It&rsquo;s a sad reflection of old thinking and I&rsquo;m proud of all our WTA players who are forward thinking, treat everyone equal and reflect life in the 21st century.&rdquo;

Jwala-Gopi war is hurting Indian badminton

The head of the women&rsquo;s professional tennis tour has criticised Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky for anti-gay comments he reportedly made in an interview

Sergiy Stakhovsky's anti-gay comment attracts WTA ire

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Home / Sports / Other Sports / Article / Sergiy Stakhovsky's anti-gay comment attracts WTA ire

Sergiy Stakhovsky's anti-gay comment attracts WTA ire

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast