Justin Gimelstob has resigned from the ATP board after being sentenced for assault, saying he has become “a significant burden and distraction”.

He was given three years probation and 60 days community service after a “no contest” plea to a battery charge.

Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka had suggested the American should leave his role as a player representative.

“Given the current climate I do not deserve to be in this position of influence,” Gimelstob, 42, said.

Gimelstob, who has also worked as a coach and TV commentator, was sentenced in Los Angeles last week.

Former friend Randall Kaplan alleged that early in the evening of 31 October, Gimelstob “punched him in the head and face more than 50 times” in front of Kaplan’s pregnant wife Madison and two-year-old daughter.

Mrs Kaplan went on to have a miscarriage, which the couple believe was a result of the stress of the attack.

Gimelstob did not admit guilt by pleading no contest and says he still “disputes the way that evening has been depicted”.

But in a statement on his Facebook page, he added: “That evening compromised the sport and the people that entrusted me with the authority to represent them.

“My job was to best represent the players, the ATP, and be a custodian of the sport. My choices and actions last Halloween night prohibit me from doing that at this time.

“My role is designed to work on behalf of the players and the sport and it is clear that I have now become a significant burden and distraction to both.

“That is not something that could or should continue.”

Britain’s Murray became the first leading player to call on Gimelstob to quit his role, telling the Telegraph he “could not see” how the American could continue.

On Tuesday, fellow three-time Grand Slam Champion Wawrinka called for an end to “a shameful period” for the sport.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka has called on the ATP player council to act after Justin Gimelstob’s sentencing for assault and end “a shameful period” for the sport.

Gimelstob, 42, is one of three player representatives on the ATP board.

The American, also a former player, received three years probation and 60 days community service after pleading “no contest” to a battery charge.

Swiss Wawrinka, 33, says players “need to speak out” about the subject.

The player council, led by 15-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, has the power to remove Gimelstob, but would need the consent of at least six of its 10 members.

“It simply cannot be possible for anyone to condone this type of behaviour and, worse, support it,” Wawrinka, who has won Australian Open, French Open and US Open titles, posted on social media.

“In any other business or sport we would not be discussing this.

“The ATP council needs to do something about this and finally end this conversation and shameful period in our great sport.”

Wawrinka’s comments come after Britain’s Andy Murray became the first leading player to call on Gimelstob to quit his role on the ATP board.

Gimelstob, who has also worked as a coach and TV commentator, was sentenced in Los Angeles last week.

Former friend Randall Kaplan alleged that early in the evening of 31 October, Gimelstob “punched him in the head and face more than 50 times” in front of Kaplan’s pregnant wife Madison and two-year-old daughter.

Mrs Kaplan went on to have a miscarriage, which the couple believe was a result of the stress of the attack.

“I don’t see, with everything that has gone on, how it’s possible for him to remain in a position of authority or management at the ATP right now,” Murray told The Telegraph.

Following Gimelstob’s sentencing, the ATP said his future was a “subject for review by the board and/or the player council”.

It added: “The election for the role of the next Americas player representative on the ATP board – the position currently held by Gimelstob – will take place as scheduled on Tuesday, 14 May in Rome.”

British number one Johanna Konta saved three match points – on her way to winning 11 straight points – to level her Morocco Open first-round match before going on to claim victory.

Konta, 27, saw off China’s Yafan Wang, ranked 56th – nine places below the Briton – in a 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 win.

She was on the verge of defeat as she trailed 40-0 at 6-5 in the second set, only to stage a remarkable fightback.

“I’m very proud of myself, for the way I competed,” Konta said.

“It was a tough match and I’m very happy to have battled through to find a way to win that second set and then come back from 3-1 down in the third.

“I also had match point at 5-3 so there was very little in the match.”

Konta will play Romania’s 132nd-ranked Ana Bogdan in the next round.

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British number one Kyle Edmund lost to American world number 82 Denis Kudla in the first round of the Munich Open, his third straight defeat.

Fifth seed Edmund was beaten 6-4 6-3 in the first ATP meeting between the pair.

Defeat continued an ordinary start to the clay-court season for Edmund, whose only win has been against French youngster Ugo Humbert in Marrakech.

Edmund went out to former Grand Slam finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, then lost in Monte Carlo to Diego Schwartzman.

Now ranked 22nd in the world, the 24-year-old Englishman was unable to turn around his form on a surface on which he has good pedigree against Kudla, who dominated to win in just one hour and seven minutes.

The 26-year-old ended his own losing of streak of five matches by taking three of 10 break points, while Edmund did not manage to muster any opportunities on Kudla’s serve.

Fans will no longer need to use pen, paper and a stamped addressed envelope to apply for Wimbledon tickets after the grass-court showpiece announced an end to a 95-year tradition.

The move, to be introduced for 2020, was among several changes confirmed by the All England Club on Tuesday.

Prize money will increase by 11.8% this year, with the total pot at the Grand Slam standing at £38m.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will win £2.35m, a rise of £100,000.

Prize money for early-round losers will increase by more than 10%, while there is also a double-digit increase for men’s and women’s doubles.

The new retractable roof over Court One will be in operation this year but the shot-clock – used at January’s Australian Open – will not be.

But the device, which counts down the seconds allowed between points, is “very likely” to be introduced from 2020, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Richard Lewis told a news conference.

Meanwhile, the wheelchair event has been expanded to include quad singles and doubles after a trial last year.

This year’s grass-court Grand Slam runs from 1 to 14 July.

Going digital

Since 1924 Wimbledon has sold the majority of its tickets through a postal ballot, which requires fans to send a stamped addressed envelope to receive an application form, which they then need to post back to the All England Club to enter the ballot.

The completed forms need to be returned by the end of the December before the July championships and fans cannot apply for specific dates or courts.

The system is set to remain the same for the online application, just without the paper and stamps.

The new online ballot does not affect the popular queue – where people often camp overnight to buy on-the-day tickets.

Prize money increases

Wimbledon has once again announced higher percentage increases in prize money for players who go out in the first three rounds of the main draw or in qualifying.

“It is a clear demonstration, once again, of our continued commitment to do what we can for players for whom it will have the most impact,” AELTC chairman Philip Brook said.

Since 2011, the prize money for first-round losers has increased almost four fold, from £11,500 to £45,000.

Meanwhile, if Britain’s Jamie Murray wins the men’s doubles title this year, he would share £540,000 with his partner, which is a rise of 20% compared to last year.

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What are the other changes for 2019?

Among other changes announced on Tuesday was that play on the outside courts will begin half an hour earlier than previously, at 11:00 BST, and four more courts will offer Hawk-Eye technology for line calls.

The capacity of the grounds will rise to 42,000, an increase of 3,000 following the completion of work to put a roof on Court One.

The cost of the project, which comes 10 years after Wimbledon installed a retractable roof over Centre Court, has not been disclosed but Brook said it had been completed on time and on budget.

The roof will be tested at a tennis and music exhibition event on 19 May, which will be broadcast live on the BBC and raise money for a homeless fund set up by the Wimbledon Foundation.

Organisers also announced plans for a greener championships, by using only 100% recycled and recyclable water bottles and scrapping plastic bags from its racquet-stringing operation.