 "Madrid Open apologises for denying women's doubles finalists speeches")
Madrid Open organisers apologised Thursday after not allowing the women’s doubles finalists to make speeches after the match at the tournament last week, amid allegations of sexism. The mens’ doubles finalists were allowed to speak to the crowd after their matches. Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff in the women’s final on Sunday but were not given a microphone to let them address the crowd. “We sincerely apologise to all the players and fans who expect more of the Mutua Madrid Open tournament,” said Madrid Open CEO Gerard Tsobanian in a statement on Twitter.
The Madrid Open has apologised for denying the women’s doubles finalists a chance to speak on Sunday. Statement below from chief executive Gerard Tsobanian pic.twitter.com/ShVY3v4Psv
— Simon Briggs (@simonrbriggs) May 11, 2023
“Not giving our women’s doubles finalists the chance to address their fans at the end of the match was unacceptable and we have apologised directly to Victoria, Beatriz, Coco and Jessica.” Tsobanian said the tournament was working with the WTA to improve their process in the future. “We made a mistake and this will not ever happen again,” he added. American player Pegula criticised the tournament at a news conference in Rome on Tuesday.
Wasn’t given the chance to speak after the final today:( But thank you to the fans for supporting us and women’s tennis this week! Thanks @JLPegula for always keeping it fun on the court and hitting unreal clutch shots hahahaha Lastly, big congratulations Vika and Bia 🎉💗
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) May 7, 2023
“Did I think we were not going to be able to speak? No. I’ve never heard of that, like, in my life,” she said. “I don’t know what century everyone was living in when they made that decision.” Women's singles finalist Iga Swiatek had criticised the tournament in her speech on Saturday over their late finishes, saying it was “not fun” to play at 1am.
so unfortunate that you were not given a chance to address the crowd and your opponents. This is sad and unacceptable 🤯 https://t.co/XGc7aW0s22
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) May 7, 2023
Hard to explain to Leo that mommy isn’t able to say hello to him at the trophy ceremony
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) May 7, 2023
Winner Aryna Sabalenka joked about a birthday cake she was given the day before in her speech, which was smaller than the one the tournament gave men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Aryna Sabalenka addresses the cake situation in her speech.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 6, 2023
"I think it's all because of yesterday's cake, it was too good." 😂 pic.twitter.com/BqnTWOY72r
The Madrid Open also face complaints about the ball girl’s outfits, which some fans said were “sexualised”. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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