The organisers of the Madrid Open tennis tournament have apologized for what they described as an "unacceptable decision" to not allow the winners of the women's doubles tournament to make speeches after their win.
Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 in Sunday's final, but unlike the winners of every other category in Madrid, they were denied the opportunity to address the crowd in a decision that led Pegula to ask "what century" the organisers were living in.
This incident happened after other issues in Madrid, where there was criticism over the use of female models instead of ball boys in big matches, while women's champion Aryna Sabalenka was given a birthday cake that was half the size of that given to Spanish world number one Carlos Alcaraz, a Xinhua report said.
"Not giving our women's doubles finalists the chance to address their fans at the end of the match was unacceptable and we have apologized directly to Victoria, Beatriz, Coco and Jessica," commented the chief executive of the Mutua Madrid Open, Gerard Tsobanian.
"We are working internally and with the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) to review our protocols and are committed to improving our process moving forward. We made a mistake and this will not ever happen again."
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"We sincerely apologise to all the players and fans who expect more of the Mutua Madrid Open tournament," he added.