The Madrid Open concluded over the weekend and, wow, it’s tough to know where to begin with this one.
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, for the trophy in the latest chapter of their burgeoning rivalry, and Carlos Alcaraz won his second straight title on clay with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff. But with all due respect to those achievements, neither is the lasting memory from the event.
It can’t be sugarcoated: This tournament was messy.
The first controversy started when a TikTok user pointed out the tournament’s use of models in place of ball kids on Center Court — and the difference in their uniforms. Backlash ensued.
And then, another disparity was thrust into the spotlight Friday, the birthday of both of the eventual singles champions. Sabalenka and Alcaraz were each given cakes to celebrate the occasion, and they were not of equal size or grandeur, as pointed out by many. Victoria Azarenka even implied the cakes were indicative of the difference in treatment between male and female players at the event:
Couldn’t be more accurate on the treatment https://t.co/x89RytI0zV
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) May 5, 2023
Tournament director Feliciano Lopez was quick to defend the difference in the cakes, reasoning that the event was in…
