Justin Gimelstob Net Worth

What is Justin Gimelstob's net worth?

Justin Gimelstob is an American former professional tennis player who has a net worth of $8 million.

Justin Gimelstob established himself as a notable figure in professional tennis, not only for his achievements on the court but also for his multifaceted career within the sport after retirement. From a promising junior player to a doubles specialist and later a tennis commentator, coach, and ATP board member, Gimelstob's journey has been marked by both significant accomplishments and controversial incidents. His legacy encompasses his contributions to the game as a player, his advocacy for increased prize money as a board member, and his later fall from grace following personal conduct issues that ultimately led to his resignation from several prominent positions in the tennis world.

Early Life and Education

Justin Jeremy Gimelstob was born on January 26, 1977, in Livingston, New Jersey, to Barry and Patricia Gimelstob. Raised in a Jewish household, he grew up with two brothers, Joshua and Russell. His father, Barry Gimelstob, was a notable basketball coach in Newark.

Gimelstob began playing tennis at age eight with his brothers. He quickly demonstrated exceptional talent, becoming the top-ranked tennis player in the United States in his age bracket at 12, 14, 16, and 18 years old. His dominance in junior tennis included winning the U.S. National Boys' 18s singles title in 1995.

He attended Newark Academy in Livingston, New Jersey, where he led the school's tennis team to a remarkable 26-0 record and the state Tournament of Champions. His contributions to the school's tennis program were later recognized when Newark Academy inducted him and his brothers into its Hall of Fame in 2005 and named its tennis facilities after the Gimelstob brothers.

After graduating from high school in 1995, Gimelstob enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During his freshman year, he maintained a 4.0 grade point average while excelling on the tennis court. In 1996, he helped UCLA reach the NCAA team final, where they lost to Stanford, finishing with a 27-1 team record. Individually, he ranked No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles, winning the NCAA doubles title with his partner. However, his collegiate career was short-lived as he chose to turn professional in 1996.

Professional Tennis Career

Gimelstob turned professional in 1996 and quickly made a name for himself with several impressive victories. At Wimbledon in June 1997, he upset world No. 12 Gustavo Kuerten in five sets. The following month, he defeated Andre Agassi at an ATP event in Los Angeles and world No. 16 Petr Korda in Montreal.

While he achieved moderate success in singles competition, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 63 in April 1999, Gimelstob truly excelled in doubles play. Throughout his career, he won 13 ATP doubles titles and reached a peak doubles ranking of No. 18 in May 2000. In doubles competition at the US Open, he had the unique distinction of partnering with 11 different players in 11 appearances.

A significant highlight of Gimelstob's career came in 1998 when he teamed with Venus Williams to win mixed doubles titles at both the Australian Open and the French Open. These Grand Slam victories represented the pinnacle of his on-court achievements.

He continued to notch noteworthy singles victories throughout his career, defeating established players such as Àlex Corretja (world No. 9) at Wimbledon in 1998 and Pat Rafter (world No. 5) in Los Angeles the same year. In 2005, he reached the third round at Wimbledon after defeating Nicolás Massú, before losing to Lleyton Hewitt.

The closest Gimelstob came to winning an ATP singles title was in 2006 at the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, where he reached his first and only ATP singles final, losing to Mark Philippoussis. That same year, he defeated Andy Murray in the semifinals at Newport.

Gimelstob's career was occasionally hampered by injuries. In September 2006, he underwent back surgery to remove disc fragments that were causing nerve pressure and loss of sensation in his right leg. He retired from professional tennis in the fall of 2007, after being defeated by Andy Roddick in the first round of the US Open. He represented the United States in Davis Cup competition in 1998 and 2001.

Justin Gimelstob / A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Career Earnings

Throughout his professional tennis career spanning from 1996 to 2007, Justin Gimelstob earned a total of $2,575,522 in prize money. While this amount is modest compared to the earnings of top players in the sport, it was a respectable sum for a player who specialized primarily in doubles competition.

His prize money came primarily from his 13 ATP doubles titles and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, as well as his various singles tournament appearances. His highest-earning years likely coincided with his peak rankings periods—around 1999 for singles (when he reached No. 63) and 2000 for doubles (when he reached No. 18).

For context, Gimelstob's career earnings placed him well outside the all-time leaders in tennis prize money. By comparison, top players of his era like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi earned substantially more, and today's leading players like Novak Djokovic have career earnings exceeding $160 million.

Post-Playing Career

Following his retirement from professional play in 2007, Gimelstob seamlessly transitioned into various roles within the tennis world. He became a prominent commentator and analyst for Tennis Channel, where his firsthand knowledge of the game and its players made him a valuable on-air personality.

In addition to his broadcasting work, Gimelstob served as a blogger for Sports Illustrated under the name "Gimel Takes All" and presented tennis features for the TV Guide channel. He also expanded his media presence through various tennis-related programming.

A significant milestone in his post-playing career came in June 2008 when he was elected to the ATP Board of Directors as a player representative for the Americas region. During his tenure on the board, which lasted until 2019, Gimelstob was instrumental in advocating for increased prize money for players on the ATP Tour. His role as a board member gave him substantial influence over the direction of men's professional tennis.

Gimelstob also ventured into coaching, most notably working with American player John Isner from late 2014 until April 2016. Under Gimelstob's guidance, Isner maintained a ranking around the top 10 and captured multiple ATP titles.

Throughout this period, Gimelstob established himself as a powerful figure in tennis administration. He founded and owned a production company called Without Limits, which secured contracts with both the ATP and the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Controversies and Legal Issues

Despite his successful transition to a post-playing career, Gimelstob's reputation was marred by several controversies. In 2008, while appearing on a Washington, D.C. radio show, he made derogatory comments about several female tennis players, referring to them in sexualized terms. That same year, he made homophobic remarks in an interview with Out Magazine.

In 2010, he was suspended from his Tennis Channel commentating duties following comments he made about President Barack Obama.

The most serious incident occurred in October 2018, when Gimelstob was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly attacking Randall Kaplan, a venture capitalist and former friend, while Kaplan was trick-or-treating with his wife and young child on Halloween in Los Angeles. Initially denying the accusations, Gimelstob later changed his plea to "no contest" to a felony battery charge that was subsequently reduced to a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to three years' probation and 60 days of community labor.

The fallout from this incident proved devastating to his career. Following public criticism from prominent tennis figures including Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, Gimelstob resigned from the ATP Board of Directors on May 1, 2019. He also stepped down from his commentating position at Tennis Channel.

Personal Life

Gimelstob married Cary Kendall Sinnott on May 19, 2012, at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, California. The couple has one son together. However, during his legal proceedings following the assault charge, Gimelstob mentioned ongoing litigation regarding custody of his son, suggesting marital difficulties.

In April 2025, Justin was confirmed to be dating television personality Amada Kloots.

Real Estate

In 2014, Justin paid $4.4 million for a home in Santa Monica, California. Today, this home is worth around $6 million.

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