At the time Soledad Murillo, the Spanish secretary of state for equality, stated the ball ladies’ apparel and choice “fomented clear discrimination towards women who appear as simple objects of decoration and amusement” and when requested why the choice was made, replied: “Because it is men who make the decisions on uniforms.”

The event has additionally been criticised for the dimensions of truffles handed to Alcaraz and Aryna Sablenka, because the pair celebrated their birthdays on May 5. The Spaniard was handed a big multi-tiered cake, whereas Sabalenka was offered with a a lot smaller cake by comparability.

Her compatriot Victoria Azarenka weighed in on the controversy, as she took to Twitter and said: "Couldn't be extra correct on the therapy,” in response to a comparability picture of the 2 truffles. 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu additionally wrote: “That doesn’t look right.”

The Madrid Open and tournament organiser IMG have been contacted by Express Sport for comment.