Tennis: Michael Llodra makes racist taunt to Asian-American woman, then doubles down on the idiocy

[marmar]

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Michael Llodra was fined $2,500 by the ATP after directing a racial outburst at an Asian-American fan during his first-round match in Indian Wells.

During the third set of his match against Ernests Gulbis, the 31-year-old Frenchmen grew visibly frustrated with a small group of Gulbis supporters sitting courtside. Alex Lee Barlow was one of those supporters. Barlow, a 44-year-old tennis fan from Oakland, Calif., was visiting the tournament for her sixth year with her husband.

....(snip)....

One person who heard the comment was Canadian tennis journalist Tom Tebbutt, who tracked down Barlow’s brother after the match to confirm what was said. Tebbutt, who speaks French, said Llodra called the woman “a f***ing Chinese,” while the New York Times reported Llodra said “putain Chinoise,” which translates roughly as “Chinese whore.” Either way, we get the picture.

....(snip)....

But even more problematic is the fact that Llodra, who won the China Open doubles title in 2005, doesn’t even seem to care or understand that he’s done something wrong. Llodra insisted to Chinese reporters that he is not racist and he doesn’t want to lose fans in China but dismissed the comment as an outburst borne from the heat of competition. Speaking with a Chinese reporter, Llodra said his words were not directed at China, Japan, or Asia in general. Then, he continued, “I love Chinese — I can totally make love with a Chinese girl,” before an ATP official cut him off. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://tennis.si.com/2012/03/14/michael-llodra-fined-after-racially-charged-remarks-at-fan/

[TBF]

1. We do get some bad behavior in tennis sometimes don't we -

from the betting to threatening line judges ... I have to admit I barely know who Llodra is (I rarely watch doubles unless it's the Bryans in a title match) so maybe he'll enjoy the (even bad) publicity.

[joeybee12]

2. I would not have been able to identify him before this...

I know I've seen the name enough to know he sometimes does ok in tournaments.