Tiredness causes racism, hay fever causes sexism

Media Guardian previews a Radio Times interview in which John Inverdale seeks to explain his comments about last summer's Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli. You may recall he said:

"I just wonder if her dad, because he has obviously been the most influential person in her life, did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14 maybe, 'listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker. 

"'You are never going to be somebody like a Sharapova, you're never going to be 5ft 11, you're never going to be somebody with long legs, so you have to compensate for that. 

"'You are going to have to be the most dogged, determined fighter that anyone has ever seen on the tennis court if you are going to make it', and she kind of is."

Why did he come out with all that? Apparently he tells the Radio Times:

"I was feeling so ill that day, I had terrible hay fever and all I could think of was that I wanted to go home to bed. I had Andy Murray in the final the next day. I knew I had to be on form. Your mind is going all over the place, we're on air from 12 noon till 7pm with not a single word written and you've got to fill the time."

Inverdale helpfully adds:

"I'm not making excuses here, just trying to explain."