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Venus Williams Compared To 'Gorilla' By ESPN Commentator At Australian Open

Tennis fans are "voicing their outrage" on social media after an American commentator said that Venus Williams "put the gorilla effect" on during her second-round match on Tuesday, according to the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Williams, who was playing against Stefanie Voegele, was "stepping into the baseline ready for her opponent’s second serve when the comment was made by ESPN’s Doug Adler." He said, "She misses a first serve and Venus is all over her. You see Venus move in (and) put the gorilla effect on. Charging." New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg was "vocal in his appraisal" of the situation.

This, "of course," is not the first time a commentator "has made such comments about one of the Williams sisters." In '14, Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpishchev referred to Serena and Venus Williams as the "Williams brothers" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 1/18). The AP reported Adler said Thursday that he was speaking about Williams' tactics and strategy and "simply and inadvertently chose the wrong word to describe her play." He said that he was describing her aggressive style as "guerrilla" tactics and not comparing her to a "gorilla" (AP, 1/19).

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