ATP draw ceremony branded 'disgrace' after players were made to choose female models to reveal opponents
The draw was held in Milan to determine groups for NextGen ATP finals
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo has branded an ATP draw ceremony a "disgrace" after young male players were made to choose female models to reveal their opponents.
The draw was held in Milan on Sunday to determine the groups for the next NextGen ATP Finals, a tournament taking place this week featuring eight of the world's best players aged younger than 21.
The players were asked to select a model to escort them down a catwalk arm in arm before the model then revealed their group letter to the audience.
One woman lifted up her dress to show the letter 'A' written on her thigh while another took off her jacket, with the letter 'B' marked on her back.
America's Jared Donaldson looked particularly awkward while a model danced around him on stage.
Andy Murray's former coach Mauresmo tweeted a video of the draw on Twitter along with the caption "disgrace" while Judy Murray did the same, commenting "awful".
France's world number 38 Alize Cornet added: "Good job ATPWorldTour. Supposed to be a futurist event right? #backtozero"
Most of the players involved looked bewildered during the ceremony, which is run by the ATP, the governing body of the men's game, in partnership with the Italian Tennis Federation and the Italian Olympic Committee.
The Italian Tennis Federation said it was not involved in the organisation of the event, which it said was arranged by the ATP.
The ATP has not yet chosen to comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments