The chief executive of the Madrid Open has acknowledged it was “a mistake” to deny the women’s doubles finalists the opportunity to make post-match speeches as he belatedly offered a public apology for last weekend’s fiasco.
The start of the Italian Open has been blighted by the fallout from the controversy, which came after Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff in Sunday’s final. Rather than addressing the crowd after receiving their trophies, as is traditional, the bemused quartet were directed straight to the podium for photographs.
“We sincerely apologise to all the players and fans who expect more of the Mutua Madrid Open tournament,” Gerard Tsobanian, the tournament’s CEO, said in a statement.
“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.
“We are working internally and with the WTA to review our protocols and are committed to improving our process moving forward. We made a mistake and this will not ever happen again.”
No explanation was offered for the reasoning behind the decision, which has been widely criticised, not least by Pegula and Gauff.
Australia’s John Millman, a former world No 33, added his voice to the chorus of disapproval following Tsobanian’s statement, responding on Twitter: “‘Working internally to review protocols’ …It’s pretty simple. Show some proper respect. It’s the very least they deserve.”
The furore marked the culmination of a turbulent 10 days at the Caja Mágica, where accusations of sexism came thick and fast.
The crop tops and pleated skirts worn by the ball girls were branded discriminatory by Soledad Murillo, Spain’s secretary of state for equality, and were replaced by less revealing outfits for the men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jan-Lennard Struff.
A row also erupted over the disparity in size between birthday cakes the tournament presented to Aryna Sabalenka and Alcaraz. Azarenka retweeted a picture highlighting the difference, writing: “Couldn’t be more accurate on the treatment.”
Whether officials had that in mind when they decided not to invite the doubles finalists to speak is impossible to know, but Azarenka was reportedly unimpressed by the late start to her semi-final match. Iga Swiatek, the World No 1, took aim at the tournament’s scheduling after her defeat to Sabalenka in the women’s final, and it may have been fear of similar barbs that prompted the organisers to pull the plug.
“What happened in terms of doubles was completely unacceptable,” Azarenka, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Sloane Stephens at the Italian Open, told the Guardian. “There’s a lot of conversations, obviously, internally, of what happened and I want to see how that develops and what are the consequences of those decisions.
“So that’s why I don’t want to make too many comments. I believe to give people the opportunity to figure out what’s the best course of action. Do I think it’s unacceptable? It’s absolutely unacceptable.”