A leading BBC sports announcer was deluged by a barrage of criticism on Saturday after he lambasted Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli for not being "a looker".

The BBC was forced to apologize after John Inverdale made his remarks on a radio program following the Frenchwoman's win over German Sabine Lisicki in the final.

Inverdale reportedly told listeners: "Do you think Bartoli's dad told her when she was little, 'You're never going to be a looker, you'll never be a Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight?'