After competing in the Madrid Open Championship match, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula received the Women’s doubles event runner-up trophy. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia were crowned champions. But during the trophy ceremony, something shocking happened that concerned the 19-year-old doubles runner-up. After receiving the runner-up trophy, when both the tennis players were ready to give their speeches, they were not allowed to speak up during the trophy ceremony.

The 19-year-old American tennis star, who is also an activist off the court, has brought up this subject and expressed worry about the reason why they were not given the opportunity to speak. The fifth-ranked tennis player in the world recently questioned the event’s viewpoint in public after expressing it on social media.

Coco Gauff questions the Madrid Open organizers 

The activist Gauff recently discussed her viewpoint on the tournament’s choice to quiet the competitors in light of past controversies. The 19-year-old has always spoken out against prejudice both on and off the tennis court. And she has taken advantage of her position to bring up topics that have bothered her or other people.

The tennis pro recently schooled the tournament for the controversies as she questions the event’s intention behind not giving the opportunity to speak up.

She said, “It was about the principle behind it, that in future cases, if someone else criticizes the tournament, maybe racism, homophobia, something like that. You can’t just cut, no speech, no nothing. You have to take those criticisms.”

A few days ago, the 19-year-old revealed the tournament’s discriminatory practices during the prize ceremony. However, there were numerous sexist controversies at the 2023 Madrid Open. Firstly, there is the saga of the cakes, in which tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Sabalenka, who had birthdays on the same day, received separate cakes. Comparatively speaking, the WTA star received a smaller cake than Alcaraz.

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Moreover, there was also a concern regarding the sexiest ball girls’ outfits that dragged the clay tournament into controversy.

Madrid Open’s another off-court controversy

Before the tournament’s championship match, the organizers came under fire for costuming the ball girls dressed in crop tops and short skirts. According to CNN, the organizers received so much backlash that short skirts were replaced with different types of capris for the finals.

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In the midst of all the uproar regarding the unequal treatment of female tennis players at the tournament. The Madrid Open was accused of sexism for clothing the ball girls in revealing and feminizing attire. However, the women’s doubles finals being censored and the ball girls’ outlandish attire has brought the competition into even more criticism.

And Gauff has no plans to stop until she learns why she was silenced during the prize ceremony.