Tennis
Scandal in Madrid! Tennis tournament organizers accused of sexism
On Sunday, May 7, the final match in pairs of the clay tournament of the WTA 1000 series was held in Madrid (Spain).
In the cup duel, the tandems of Coco Gauff / Jessica Pegula and Victoria Azarenka / Beatriz Haddad Maya came together. The fight ended in favor of Azarenka and Haddad Maya with a score of 6:1, 6:4.
After the meeting was over, something strange happened. Madrid Open Organizers deprived champions and finalists of traditional speech at the awards ceremony. Interestingly, such an opportunity was provided for men.
“I wasn’t given the opportunity to perform after the final today,” Gauff wrote on Twitter.
Pegula also did not leave unattended:
“I don’t know what century everyone lived in when they took this decision. Or how did they talk and decide? “Wow, this is a great decision and there will be no backlash against it.” So what? I never thought we’d be allowed to speak. It disappointed me a lot.”
World number 7 and last year’s tournament winner Ons Jabeur described the situation as “sad and unacceptable”, while former Grand Slam doubles champion Renne Stubbs succinctly called it “embarrassing”.
The organizers of the super tournament in Madrid had to apologize:
“We sincerely apologize to all the players and fans who expected more from the Mutua Madrid Open. It was unacceptable that our women’s doubles finalists weren’t given the chance to address their fans at the end of the match, and we apologized directly to Victoria, Beatrice, Coco and Jessica. We are working internally and with the WTA to review our protocols and improve our going forward process. We made a mistake and it will never happen again.”
…Coco and Jessica. We work internally and with WTA to review our protocols and are committed to improving our process going forward. We made a mistake and it will never happen again.”
Gerard Tsobanian, CEO of Mutua Madrid Open
(2/2)
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) 11 May 2023
But that’s not all. During the tournament, the ball collectors in the Madrid central court, who became the girls in this tournament, wore short tops and short skirts. Criticism soon followed, and the organizers reacted to the Sunday finals and the weirdest. They gave the girls short tops, but the skirts were replaced by long shorts.
“Girls are treated more feminine than guys who don’t dress like that,” said Pilar Calvo, spokesperson for the Professional Women’s Sports Association.
There was also another strange case in Madrid. On May 5, the world’s second rackets and future champions of the tournament Carlos Alcaras and Arina Sobolenko celebrated their birthdays. As a result, the Spaniard received a large cake as a gift, and Sobolenko had to be content with a 10 times smaller version of the cake.
Victoria Azarenka, a member of the WTA Players Council, posted the relevant photos on her Twitter account.
Couldn’t be more accurate in treatment https://t.co/x89RytI0zV
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) May 5, 2023
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
They will face each other in the 3rd round of the Australian Open on January 23 Elina Svitolina (WTA 12) and Diana Schneider (WTA 22).
The meeting is planned to start at 10:00 Kyiv time.
Sport.ua together with a betting partner bet announcing the upcoming fight!
Elina Svitolina
Ukraine’s first racquet is having an excellent season; He confirmed his top seed status by winning the tournament in Auckland. Svitolina started her journey in this tournament by defeating Spanish athlete Cristina Buxa with scores of 6:4, 6:1. In the second round, she managed to defeat Polish Linda Klimovichova with sets of 7:5 and 6:1.
The Ukrainian player increased his first serve percentage in the second match compared to the first match: 64% versus 49%. The upcoming opponent for Elina is the toughest opponent of the season, this applies both in terms of ratings and class. Potentially, Svitolina could play the winner of Mirra Andreeva – Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the next round.
Diana Schneider
“Nötrka” has already managed to play in two tournaments this season, looked good and was ahead of its rivals in the top 10. In Brisbane, Schneider defeated another former “neutral” Anastasia Potapova, representing Austria, 6:1, 6:3. And then, in the tough fight, Madison Keys was defeated with scores of 7:6, 6:7, 6:7.
In Adelaide, the athlete defeated the following rivals: Leila Fernandez – 7:5, 6:3, Katerina Sinyakova – 6:1, 2:6, 7:5, followed by a victory over American Emma Navarro – 6:3, 6:3. Only in the semifinals did Mirra Andreeva lose with sets of 3:6, 2:6. At the Australian Open, the tennis player started with victories of 2:6, 6:3, 6:3 against the experienced Czech Barbora Krejcikova. The match against Australian Tallia Gibson was incredibly difficult – 3:6, 7:5, 6:3 and she managed to win three match points in the second set.
Match prediction
As statistics show, the rivals never played each other. The Ukrainian athlete is seen as the slight favorite of this pair. Svitolina is ten years older than him and has more experience.
In such a confrontation, a stubborn struggle that can lead to any outcome should be expected. There is no need to remind how important the match against the “neutral” will be for the Ukrainians. Here I would risk betting more than 20.5 total games for 1.64.
Elina Svitolina01/23/2026 –
10:00
Diana Schneider 1.64 place a bet KRAIL License No. 559 dated 12/05/2024 Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev He reacted to the interview with a Ukrainian woman at the press conference Alexandra Oleynikova For the L’Équipe publication in which he accused the Russians of supporting Putin:
– The Ukrainian tennis player said that, in his opinion, Russians should not be allowed to participate in international tennis tournaments. He also condemned players, including you, for participating in an exhibition match sponsored by a major Russian oil company with ties to the war in Ukraine. How will you react to this?
– In general, I respect everyone’s every opinion. I’m trying… It’s a little different on the field, isn’t it? However, I respect all opinions off the field. “This is his opinion and frankly I have nothing to say about it,” Medvedev said.
Oleinikova’s words were also commented on by Arina Sabalenko and Diana Schneider, whom Oleinikova also mentioned in her interview.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
18 years old “neutral” Mirra Andreeva He sent fans away after the match at the Australian Open 2026.
On January 21, Andreeva defeated Maria Sakkari in the 1/32 final with scores of 6:0 and 6:4. After the end of the fight, Mirra said “Fuck you all” to applauding fans. Naturally, this was inaudible, but you can literally read this sentence on your lips.
On the 23rd, Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse will play against Andreeva. The meeting will start around 12:00 Kyiv time.
VIDEO. “To hell with you all” Andreeva told fans after her match at the Australian Open
Did he say what I thought he said???? 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/qH9hxmE0VX
— Lorena Popa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) January 21, 2026
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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