Gold medalist, feminist Murray corrects broadcaster

John Inverdale hasn't learned. Or else Andy Murray made more of a benign question posed to him than the interviewer intended. It depends on who you ask about the British TV presenter's headline-chewing Q&A with his countryman, who just became the first player to successfully defend an Olympic singles title.

Murray beat a fatigued Roger Federer on his home turf, the All England Club grass, in 2012 and then topped a similarly tired Juan Martin del Potro in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Thus regardless of whether Inverdale meant to malign any other pros, the optics are bad for him. Know this: Somewhere Venus and Serena are completely ignoring this mini-scandal. They're swimming in Olympic medals. They might very well doze with them under their day-bed pillows. They certainly, at least in Serena's case, have said that those are the lone possessions they'd seek to take with them in the event of a home fire. What's sad here is that Inverdale's career will likely be remembered for this verbal volley and another truly sordid way he had with words.

Yes, there's history here. In 2013, as Marion Bartoli claimed the (antiquated language alert) ladies' singles championship at Wimbledon, Inverdale saw fit to say that she's "never going to be a looker," comparing her physical attributes to those of Maria Sharapova and others. He later apologized for the remarks, and repeated that remorse less than a year later when he was paired with Bartoli in a French Open commentators' booth.

Tennis players need to have short memories to function and succeed. But the tennis Twitterati do not. They never forget.

Whether Inverdale's leading question was innocuous or not, and likely it was, so far the Zika virus isn't what he or some others should fear in Rio. It's a little-known, orally transmitted malady known as foot-in-mouth disease.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.