CNN
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Some of the prestigious tennis tournaments exterior the 4 grand slams, the Madrid Open attracts the largest names within the sport.
Nonetheless, this yr’s version attracted as a lot consideration for the controversy off the courtroom as for the motion on clay.
Through the Masters 1000 occasion, which ended the weekend with Carlos Alcaraz e Aryna Sabalenka crowning males’s and girls’s singles champions – organizers had been criticized for dressing the ladies on the principle courtroom in crop tops and brief skirts.
Following the backlash, the skirts had been swapped for lengthy shorts in Sunday’s ultimate, however the crop tops remained.
“It is a feminized approach of treating ladies in comparison with guys who do not gown like that,” stated Pilar Calvo, spokesperson for the Affiliation of Girls in Skilled Sports activities, to Spanish media Público.
“On the finish of the day, it is a type of sexist violence that is so widespread as a result of individuals do not even discover it.”
Nonetheless, the sexism row didn’t cease there, because the gamers in Sunday’s ladies’s doubles ultimate accused the organizers of not permitting them to talk after the match.
Neither the winners – Beatriz Haddad Maia and Victoria Azarenka – nor the losers – the American couple Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff – gave acceptance speeches.
“I wasn’t given an opportunity to talk after right now’s ultimate,” a sad-faced Gauff tweeted, whereas Azarenka added that it was “onerous to elucidate to Leo that mother is not in a position to greet him on the trophy ceremony.”
“I do not know what century they had been all dwelling in once they made that call,” Pegula added, based on the BBC. “Or how that they had a dialog and determined, ‘Wow, this can be a large resolution and there is not going to be any backlash towards this.’
“I’ve by no means heard in my life that we couldn’t speak. It was actually disappointing. In a $10,000 ultimate (decrease tier) you’ll speak.
“It spoke for itself. We had been upset when it occurred and throughout the trophy ceremony we had been instructed we could not communicate. Some extent was made.”
World quantity 7 and final yr’s winner Ons Jabeur referred to as it “unhappy and unacceptable”, and former Grand Slam doubles champion Rennae Stubbs referred to as it “disgraceful”.
“We sincerely apologize to all of the gamers and followers who count on extra from the Madrid Open event,” Gerard Tsobanian, CEO and event organizer of the Madrid Open, stated in a press release.
“Not giving our ladies’s doubles finalists the chance to handle their followers on the finish of the match was unacceptable and we apologize on to Victoria, Beatriz, Coco and Jessica.”
It was the second time Azarenka had criticized event organizers at this yr’s Madrid Open after a fan posted two pictures on Twitter exhibiting the distinction within the dimension of the birthday truffles given to Alcaraz and Sabalenka, who share a birthday on Might 5.
Azarenka responded to the tweet, saying: “Could not be extra correct in therapy.”
That prompted a response from event director Feliciano Lopez, a former world No. 12 and seven-time ATP Tour winner, who stated he was “shocked by this response after this gesture.”
Explaining the the reason why Alcaraz acquired a multi-tier cake and Sabalenka acquired a single one, Lopez stated it was as a result of Alcaraz had simply reached the ultimate, was enjoying on the principle courtroom and is the house favourite for the Spanish event.
“PS: I hope Rune wasn’t upset about his therapy as nicely,” he completed, accompanied by a winking emoji and a photograph of male participant Holger Rune additionally receiving a single-level cake earlier within the event.
Lopez was not instantly accessible for remark when contacted by CNN Sport.
