Madrid Open: Jessica Pegula unhappy women's doubles finalists denied speeches

Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Victoria Azarenka recovered retired they did not person the accidental to talk during Sunday's trophy presentation

Jessica Pegula has questioned "what century" Madrid Open organisers are "living in" aft she and her chap doubles finalists were not allowed to marque speeches aft the match.

All finalists successful the singles and men's doubles spoke aft their matches.

"I've ne'er heard successful my beingness we wouldn't beryllium capable to speak," said 29-year-old Pegula.

"It was truly disappointing. In a $10,000 last you would speak.

"I don't cognize what period everyone was surviving successful erstwhile they made that decision, oregon however they had a speech and decided, 'Wow, this is simply a large determination and there's going to beryllium no-backlash against this'.

"It spoke for itself. We were upset erstwhile it happened and told during the trophy ceremonial we weren't capable to speak. It benignant of proved a point."

Belarus' Azarenka said it was "hard to explain" to her young lad Leo wherefore she was not capable to code him successful a triumph speech.

Gauff wrote: "Twitter format doesn't let maine to accidental everything I would've said during the code if we had one."

Tunisia's satellite fig 7 Ons Jabeur, who did not play successful the tournament, said it was "sad and unacceptable" the players were not allowed to speak.

Asked by BBC Sport for an explanation, Madrid Open organisers said: "The tourney volition not remark connected the matter."

The Madrid Open offers adjacent prize wealth crossed ATP and WTA events, with singles champions winning conscionable implicit £1m and doubles champions sharing £330,000.

Pegula, who is ranked 3rd successful the satellite successful singles, shared £176,000 with Gauff arsenic runners-up.

Why Madrid Open faces 'sexist' backlash

The incidental brought much accusations of sexism astatine the clay-court tournament, 1 of the astir prestigious extracurricular the 4 Grand Slams.

Ball girls for the men's matches wore antithetic outfits for Sunday's last betwixt Carlos Alcaraz and Jan-Lennard Struff aft complaints astir the harvest tops and abbreviated skirts they had worn during the remainder of the tournament.

The shot boys for the women's matches wore baggier polo shirts and longer shorts than previously.

Another incidental cited arsenic an illustration of however women's players were treated otherwise to men centred astir day cakes.

Spain's satellite fig 2 Alcaraz was presented with a three-tier barroom for his 20th day aft winning his semi-final connected centre tribunal connected Friday.

Belarus' satellite fig 2 Sabalenka, who won the rubric connected Saturday, received a much humble barroom erstwhile she turned 25 connected Friday, erstwhile she did not person a match.

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, some of whom went connected to triumph the Madrid Open singles titles, observe the aforesaid day connected 5 May

In effect to a tweet from a instrumentality describing the quality successful cakes arsenic "astounding" and "misogyny", two-time large champion Azarenka said connected Friday: "Couldn't beryllium much close connected the treatment."

Madrid Open tourney manager Feliciano Lopez said helium was "surprised" by her reaction.

He was stood down Azarenka and the different women's finalists connected Sunday erstwhile they were told determination would beryllium nary speeches.

Pegula, who is simply a subordinate of the WTA Players' Council, said: "There had been a batch of play successful Madrid this year, connected a assortment of antithetic things. There was a batch of hostility and it got worse. That didn't assistance the situation."

On the wider issues astatine the Madrid tournament, she said: "Out of each the play the extremity end is to fig retired solutions. This cannot hap again - it needs to beryllium changed."

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA), the governing assemblage of the women's tour, has not commented.

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