Madrid Open chief hits back at Ons Jabeur after claiming tournament ‘favours men’
The Madrid Open director has issued a direct reply to Ons Jabeur after the Tunisian claimed the tournament ‘favours men’.
Jabeur, the 2022 Madrid champion, secured her first three-match win streak of 2024 with a triumph over Jelena Ostapenko on Monday.
But in her post-match press conference she lashed out at the way women have been treated over the course of the event – one of the few events in the calendar that aligns the ATP and WTA Tours.
“I feel like definitely tennis is one of the sports that l’m proud to play in as a woman,” the 29-year-old said. “But I feel like we have a long way [to go], especially here in Madrid.
“The way they treat women here and men, they’re completely different. Maybe people from the outside don’t see it. For example, here in Spain, I would love to go to the hotel and open the TV and see a woman’s tennis match. I haven’t seen once one tennis match of a woman.”
When asked about her level and the reason for her destructive 6-0 6-4 win over Ostapenko, two-time Wimbledon finalist added: “The conditions and the fact that they annoy me here by favouring men.”
Feliciano Lopez fires back at Ons Jabeur
On Wednesday, Jabeur was knocked out of the tournament by Madison Keys in the quarter-finals, and director Feliciano Lopez wasted no time in responding to her earlier comments.
"I don't think it's fair to say that we don't treat men and women equally"
Madrid Open tournament director Feliciano Lopez responds to Ons Jabeur's criticism about the treatment of female players ???? pic.twitter.com/Dvu66QRE7E
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 1, 2024
“I don’t think it’s fair to say that we are not treating men and women equally,” Lopez told Sky Sports. “I think we are doing a great job in that matter.
“I think we did a few things last year that shouldn’t happen, I have to say, and we have learned from out mistakes. But we were the first tournament that paid the same prize money to women and men.
“I understand the frustration on certain things because there is a lot that can happen during the tournament, with transportation and practice sessions, but we try to be fair all the time.”
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