Tennis execs apologized following "widespread condemnation" of a draw ceremony in which one player was asked to pull off a female model's glove with his teeth and other players "found out their group by choosing the woman they liked most," according to Sean Ingle of the London GUARDIAN. Sunday's draw for the inaugural Next Gen tournament in Milan, an eight-man event for the best players aged 18-21, was called a "disgrace" by former world No. 1 and coach Amélie Mauresmo and "awful" by Judy Murray -- while others on social media "accused it of being sexist and objectifying women." In a statement on Monday, the Association of Tennis Professionals and tournament sponsor Red Bull admitted the draw had been "in poor taste and unacceptable" after claiming it had been a "misguided attempt" to draw on Milan's reputation as "one of the fashion capitals of the world." The statement said, "ATP and Red Bull apologise for the offence caused by the draw ceremony for the Next Gen ATP Finals" (GUARDIAN, 11/6). In London, Simon Briggs reported the ceremony had been branded as the Red Bull draw party, and the company -- which has never sponsored a tennis event before -- "had a significant hand in designing it." The "embarrassment over the draw is likely to overshadow this experimental tournament," which was conceived as a way of testing out a number of innovations -- shorter sets, no warm-ups, electronic line-calling -- without rankings points being at stake. Yet the event's tagline -- "The future is now" -- felt a "long way out of place when placed alongside the primitive gender attitudes displayed in the draw" (TELEGRAPH, 11/6). Also in London, Stuart Fraser reported the draw for the round-robin phase involved competitors choosing a model, who would then lead them down the catwalk and reveal either the letter A or B, which was "hidden somewhere on their bodies." This made for a "visibly awkward and uncomfortable experience for some of the players." Denis Shapovalov, the 18-year-old Canadian, had his group revealed by a model pulling her dress up in front of him to show the letter A on her thigh (LONDON TIMES, 11/6).
UNDER FIRE: In London, Alistair Tweedale reported "many in the tennis community" called the process "sexist." Fans voiced their discontent on Twitter, calling the process "trashy," "depressing" and "shameful." Cycling, motorsport and boxing "have all come in for criticism for failing to modernise in recent years and retaining the presence of female models in podium ceremonies and pre-fight weigh-ins." Many would think of tennis as "one of the more progressive sports," and this draw party will be seen as a "blight on the sport" (TELEGRAPH, 11/6).
