Miami Open tournament director James Blake wasn't too happy with Casper Ruud slamming the event as 'cheap' during one of his matches.
A few days ago, Ruud voiced his displeasure on a tennis court about the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, which microphones picked up. He didn't really hold back, which is why the moment became viral rather quickly on social media, creating a lot of discussions.
The Miami Open is one of the biggest events in tennis, and they have an image that they would like to protect. Having one of the best players in the world thrash the event is not ideal.
"There's been no towels, no cold water, and just a plastic chair to change. This is a joke. And you know why it is, because the tournament is too cheap to put up something good for the players."
Former ATP player and current tournament director James Blake wasn't too happy about it, voicing his displeasure to the Miami Herald in an interview.
"We’ve all had a bad day out on the court and said some things, I’m definitely an example of that. I would get upset at an umpire and say something that really had nothing to do with the match. He had just gotten broken and that’s frustrating time. So, I get it and no hard feelings. I wish it had been handled in a different way."
While Blake didn't really throw Ruud under the bus, opting for a more reconciliatory tone, he wasn't too keen on him voicing his displeasure for the world to hear. The American would have preferred for him or any other players to speak to the event organizers directly and not go out there and air it out.
"The best way is to talk to me, don’t go on the court and rant and rave about it. But I totally understand, being a competitor, he was in the heat of the battle."
"I think this is one instance where it definitely helps that I was a player because I recognize when something is said in the heat of battle and said to an umpire, and we live in a social media era where things get picked up and take on a life of their own."
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