Rafael Nadal's heartbreak to Madrid Open cake controversy: Tennis world rocked on chaotic Friday

Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the 2023 Italian Open, which has cast further doubt on his title defense at the upcoming French Open, should have been the biggest tennis news on Friday, May 5. But as it turns out, the tennis world was rocked by so many interesting and intriguing happenings that Nadal's announcement almost got overshadowed.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is yet to play a match on clay this year and will be going into Roland Garros, if he so chooses, sorely lacking in match practice. Rome was supposed to be Nadal's launch pad, but a final medical test did not yield satisfactory results.

The Mallorcan has, therefore, decided to play it safe and recover properly before hitting the courts.

"I am very sorry to announce that I will not be able to be in Rome. You all know how much it hurts me to miss another one of the tournaments that have marked my professional and personal career for all the love and support of the Italian tifosi," Nadal said.

"Despite having noticed an improvement in recent days, there have been many months without having been able to train at a high level and the readaptation process has its times and I have no choice but to accept them and continue working," he added.

But at the same time in the Spanish capital, something far more unexpected was brewing. After local lad Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Borna Coric in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Friday, which happened to be his 20th birthday, the World No. 2 was presented with a giant cake to celebrate the occasion.

May 5 also happened to be another World No. 2's birthday, as Aryna Sabalenka celebrated her 25th birthday on the same day. The Belarusian was not in action on Friday, as the women's semifinal had gotten over the previous day. Regardless, the Madrid Open organizers gifted her a cake to mark her special day, one that was significantly smaller than Alcaraz's.

Tennis fans made the comparison as soon as Alcaraz's cake was unveiled, leading to cries of misogyny and gender discrimination. The issue became so big that former players like Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Azarenka also weighed in, forcing tournament director Feliciano Lopez to step in and clarify.

"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," Lopez said.

Lopez's comments, however, only added fuel to the fire. The Spaniard was criticized for his "tone deaf" remarks that seemingly did not take into account the broader issues at hand.

In addition, the presence of a "model" ball girl crew also drew the ire of tennis fans, with shouts of misogyny cropping up once again.

In more positive news from Spain, Jan-Lennard Struff made history at the Madrid Open, becoming the first ever lucky loser to reach the final of a Masters 1000 event. The German defeated Aslan Karatsev, who beat him in the qualifiers, in the semifinals on Friday.

Emma Raducanu, Amanda Anisimova share health updates alongside Rafael Nadal

Emma Raducanu also shared a health update alongside Rafael Nadal

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu had some good news for her fans, as the Brit successfully underwent the second of three scheduled surgeries. While the former US Open champion is still set to miss the French Open and Wimbledon due to the impending rehab, she appeared at ease after the surgery. Raducanu even thanked her fans for showing their support during her difficult journey.

Finally, American sensation Amanda Anisimova announced that she would be taking a break from tennis for mental health reasons. She went as far as to say that it had become "unbearable" for her to be at tournaments in recent times.

No return date has been set yet, but the 21-year-old will miss at least the Italian Open and the French Open for now.

"At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it. I will miss being out there, and I appreciate all the continuous support," Anisimova said.