“That man is trash” – Fans brutally troll Madrid Open director Feliciano Lopez for discrimination between ATP and WTA players as Carlos Alacaraz and Aryna Sabalenka birthday controversy resurfaces

On social media, people brought up the 'birthday' incident and the snub of the women's doubles finalists' speech again.

“That man is trash” – Fans brutally troll Madrid Open director Feliciano Lopez for discrimination between ATP and WTA players as Carlos Alacaraz and Aryna Sabalenka birthday controversy resurfaces

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka (Via Imago)

Tennis has evolved significantly over the years, narrowing the gap between men’s and women’s tennis. The WTA now receives equal prize money and treatment compared to the men’s tour. However, there are still areas where disparities exist, often leading to strong public reactions.

Recently, the Madrid Open director Feliciano Lopez got some heat from social media for alleged discrimination between ATP and WTA players. For more context, ATP pro-Carlos Alcaraz shares a birthday with the WTA No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on the 5th of May. Typically, they compete in the Madrid Open around their birthday, and the organizers make efforts to ensure it’s a memorable experience for them.

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Last year, both players were presented with birthday cakes at the Madrid Open, but Sabalenka’s cake was noticeably smaller than Alcaraz’s. When the online community noticed this discrepancy, they expressed frustration and criticized the tournament director through trolling.

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It seems like the netizens are still angry about last year’s incident and believe that it may happen this year as well. Even though the tournament director tried to clarify his stand, the fans remained disappointed and refused to hear out Lopez. 

Fans continue to be disappointed at the Madrid Open as another tennis fraternity incident resurfaces

The tennis community did not only focus on Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka that year. The fans remain doubtful about the organizers. In the same year, the tournament organizers did not allow the women’s doubles players to speak after their match.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Via Imago)

Last year, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad-Maia had beaten Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, but the finalists were not allowed to make their presentations speech. This disappointing act by the officials added more agitation among fans.

They vigorously trolled the tournament director, assuring the organizers that last year’s drama has not yet been forgotten, resulting in a more vigilant couple of days at the Open. Take a look at some more comments from the fans.

In addition to that, it’s also known that the tournament director scheduled all the men’s qualifying matches on the main courts, while the WTA matches were relegated to secondary courts. Despite this, the tournament will continue, and fans will hope to see improved treatment and equality for all players.

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