Madrid Open organizers have been hammered in the media for their policies that showed open discrimination and sexism towards women during the recently concluded 2023 Madrid Open. The criticism came not just from players and fans but also from Soledad Murillo, Secretary of State for Equality in Spain.
Ball Girls Forced To Wear Sexy Outfits
Madrid Open organizers were criticized back in 2004 when they hired models to act as ball girls during the tournament. For the 2023 tournament, they decided to dress young ball boys and girls in traditional outfits and assign them to the outer courts. They decided to dress adult ball girls in short pleated skirts and crop tops that showed a lot of skin.
These sexy ball girls were assigned to the grandstand court and only for men’s matches which sparked an outcry from feminists and the Spanish Association for Women in Professional Sport.
Madrid Open organizers were forced to make a change due to the criticism and dressed their ball girls in loose pants that covered their knees for the men’s final. The organizers were encouraged to change their policies and not discriminate women or be sexist in their behaviour going forward.
