At the time Soledad Murillo, the Spanish secretary of state for equality, said the ball girls’ attire and selection “fomented clear discrimination towards women who appear as simple objects of decoration and amusement” and when asked why the decision was made, replied: “Because it is men who make the decisions on uniforms.”
The tournament has also been criticised for the size of cakes handed to Alcaraz and Aryna Sablenka, as the pair celebrated their birthdays on May 5. The Spaniard was handed a large multi-tiered cake, while Sabalenka was presented with a much smaller cake by comparison.
Her compatriot Victoria Azarenka weighed in on the debate, as she took to Twitter and said: “Couldn’t be more accurate on the treatment,” in response to a comparison photo of the two cakes. 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu also wrote: “That doesn’t look right.”
The Madrid Open and tournament organiser IMG have been contacted by Express Sport for comment.
