Madrid Open apologises for denying women’s double finalists’ speeches
The Madrid Open apologised on Thursday for not allowing the women's double finalists to speak after their match last week, amid allegations of sexism.
After their matches, the men's doubles finalists were allowed to address the crowd.
On Sunday, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff in the women's final, but they were not given a microphone to address the crowd.
"We sincerely apologize to all the players and fans who have come to expect more from the Mutua Madrid Open tournament," Madrid Open CEO Gerard Tsobanian said in a tweet.
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"It was unacceptable to deny our women's doubles finalists the opportunity to address their fans at the end of the match, and we have apologized directly to Victoria, Beatriz, Coco, and Jessica."
Tsobanian stated that the tournament was collaborating with the WTA in the future to improve their process.
"We made a mistake, and it won't happen again," he added.
At a press conference in Rome on Tuesday, American player Pegula slammed the tournament.
"Did I think we wouldn't be able to speak? No. "I've never heard of that in my life," she admitted.
"I don't know what century everyone was living in when they made that decision."
Women's singles finalist Iga Swiatek criticized the tournament's late finishes in her speech on Saturday, saying it was "not fun" to play at 1am (2300GMT).
In her acceptance speech, winner Aryna Sabalenka joked about a birthday cake she received the day before, which was smaller than the one given to men's champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The Madrid Open has also received criticism for the ball girls' outfits, which some fans have described as "sexualized."
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