Madrid Open Birthday Cake Controversy Explained By Tournament Director
WTA
This year's edition of the Madrid Open will be remembered infamously as the edition when the tournament organizers were accused of mistreating certain players, and tournament director Feliciano Lopez addressed the controversy.
While tennis was supposed to be the highlight of the Madrid Open this year, it was actually a controversy that nobody saw coming. It was a rather silly thing on its surface, but it left a lot of fans quite angry because they perceived it as a very poor outlook on an event that prided itself on being supremely organized.
The "cakegate," as it has been called by many, arose from an interesting situation that happened at this year’s event. Carlos Alcaraz, who is ranked second on the ATP Tour, celebrated his birthday during the event, as he was born on May 5th.
Aryna Sabalenka, who is number two on the WTA Tour, also celebrates her birthday on May 5th, and both of these players got a cake from the event organizers to mark the occasion. That was a nice gesture, which in itself wasn't a problem.
The problem with that was that Alcaraz clearly got the bigger cake compared to Sabalenka, which created an uproar on social media. At first glance, it seems like a rather silly thing, but there is some substance to it because, technically, one could make an argument for preferential treatment.
Alcaraz is Spanish, so him getting better treatment in the Spanish capital might not be too shocking, but purely from a PR standpoint, the event could have given both players the same type of cake.
A few players voiced their opinions as well, with Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Azarenka both pointing to that situation as clear proof that there is a difference in how players are treated.
Tournament director Feliciano Lopez has since broken his silence on the matter, admitting that he was surprised by the reaction.
"I'm surprised by this reaction after this gesture! 1. Carlos had just won his match to reach the final. 2. He was playing on Centre Court. 3. The tournament is played in Spain, even though it is an international event. PS: I hope Rune wasn’t also upset by his treatment."
