The Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur denounced this Monday at a press conference more improvements at the Madrid Open in the treatment of female tennis players who compete in the tournament.
In statements reported by L’Équipe, Jabeur pointed out that the treatment of female tennis players is different from the treatment received by male tennis players. “We have a long way to go, especially here in Madrid, in Rome and in Europe in general. I have the impression that they should respect women and our way of playing more. There are things that we realize. The way women and men are treated here is completely different. People may not see it from the outside. I love watching tennis and women’s sports in general. I think we deserve more.”
Jabeur gave as an example the difference when it comes to giving up training courts between tennis players depending on the male or female team and confesses that, although it has changed ownership, hardly any changes are noticeable. “A player told me that she wanted a court to train on, and that four top-20 women’s tennis players had to share the court while the boys could have the court for two or three hours. It’s not the fault of the people who organize the training sessions, it’s the fault of the tournament. There are more things, like the inputs, and it is also noticeable in the support. They try to move forward but that’s not the case. IMG bought the tournament but I don’t see the difference. The best example took place two years ago. We were supposed to play a final at 18:00… only we played after the women’s semi-finals. And add to that the interviews on the track, the cameras…”
It is worth remembering that the Madrid Open already faced another controversy last year when the organization congratulated Carlos Alcaraz on his birthday with a large cake after his match while Aryna Sabalenkawho also has a birthday on the same day, received a much smaller birthday cake, causing the tournament to receive a barrage of criticism before rectifying it.
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