on a recent Tennis Channel telecast, maybe Hamburg, the commentator had pointed things to say criticizing Kiefer, the gist of which was that he was a gay man. something like how fussy he was, and when pushed by his fellow commentator, underlined that he had meant what he said, noting that Kiefer even shaved his legs, apparently the final proof. in interviews, clearly a thoughtful, gentle person. i also root for Robredo as likely.

That's lame and unprofessional from commentators! They should be calling the match and not 'speculating' on whether or not he is or isn't gay!

Of course he's hot and I would love for him to be family but, just because someone shaves his legs doesn't make him gay!

My brother has for years, is a swimmer and he definitely isn't gay!

I love how these idiots still keep their jobs while perpetuating stereotypes!

btw, the other comment was that Kiefer "used a lot of lip gloss". the other commentator tried to soften by saying, "many of the players find it necessary to use chap stick because of the sun and wind exposure", to which he replied, "in Kiefer's case, i think lip gloss is the right word".

don't tease me by saying kiefer is gay...the eart would surely stop spinning if it was true..LOL and then Robredo....damn couldn't ask for more!

Any idea who the commentator was?

don't know his name. one of the regular Tennis Channel commentators, younger, usually insightful about the game, but with some sexual identity issues projected on players, wouldn't you say?

Check out this list and see if he's on there. If we know a name, I'll write to TTC and complain.

Tennis Channel Commentators

don't want to guess. didn't offend me that much anyway. just found it remarkable that his venting was broadcast. i Tivo all my tennis, so played it back several times, in disbelief. was piqued that Kiefer had been outed, though had to wonder what was the basis, and was it really true?

This guy sounds just like that Siragusa guy who made the disparaging remarks about Joey Harrington a while ago. What a neanderthal.

Oh well.

Xordo,
I have just read your comments here.
I think there is a side issue about the commentators comments.

I have just got back home from Wimbledon, and there, noticed that players like Coria, Puerta, Hewitt and Zabaleta, among others, shave their legs. Nothing unsual about that for athletes who need regular massage.Check cyclists, gymnasts etc. As for lip balm it makes perfect sense for protection. Neither of those trivial matters should attract comment on television.

A lawyer friend of mine from Germany tells me Keifer is not all that popular amongst commentators because of his well known left wing views.

My experience in both seeing and listening to commentators are that they are generally, but not always, right of centre. You may remember some years ago Keifer refused to play Davis Cup for Germany when Boris Becker was Captain because of "personality differences". Becker and Haas were/are quite close and Haas always promotes his frienship with Arnold Swartzenegger (spell-check). Becker is still a superstar in Germany and has immense influence. Follow the bouncing ball.

I maybe completely wrong with my assumption but thought I would add this slant to the discussion.

As for Kiefer being gay who knows? If he is, well I want to be first in the queue, he is a stunning man. There was nothing to suggest on appearances, when I saw him at Wimbledon, that he was, with the usual B-Grade actress/model type firmly gripping his arm at all times.

Anyhow, I noticed that he is as fit as a greyhound with a very low body fat %.Bodies like that, cut and toned, look great shaved. That is, of course, a subjective comment and could be a separate heading for a thread for another day.

Interesting. Nicolas is a lefty? I like him even better now! Liberals are all sissies, if not actually gay, right?

I knew that there was conflict between him and Becker but what I'd heard had been suggestions that it had to do with Kiefer's emotional immaturity--he certainly has been known to lose his cool during matches. I searched the internet to see if I could find anything on his political views, but at least in English all I found was oddities like tennis commentary from Thomas Sowell(!).

I happen to live in Germany and don't know anything about Kiefer's apparently well-known left-wing views. And Kiefer, of all people, is an athlete I can't imagine talking about his political views in public.

What makes people dislike Kiefer here in Germany is that he's never fully lived up to his potential. To make matters worse, he seems to have a difficult personality that is shining through in interviews. He always comes across as extremely cocky, stubborn and yet unexplicably unsure and open to influence from, as some say, the wrong people. All in all, he never comes across as a very likeable guy. Hot for sure, but not very likeable.

Or as Becker once said about Kiefer, "With Rainer Schüttler it's all about making the impossible possible, with Nicolas, on the other hand, it's all about making the possible impossible". For all the success Kiefer had in the past I guess Becker's right for once.

Kiefer gave an wide-ranging interview about 3 years ago in Melbourne and spoke about his political views, not radical but left wing.

As for athletes placing their political views on the public record, the list is long!!