"Was the decorative ball crew not enough objectification?" - Tennis fans scream misogyny at Madrid Open as presence of models as ball girls goes viral

The presence of a ball crew comprising entirely of models at the Madrid Open has caused fresh outrage among tennis fans.

A former Wimbledon ball girl, who goes by @Lizzy8E on social media, recently raised concerns about the different ball crews present at the Masters 100 tournament in Madrid. She pointed out how the ball crew consisting of models, used during important matches on the Manolo Santana stadium, were dressed in "flowy skirts and a black crop top" as opposed to regular ball kid attire.

One fan stated that they were left confused by the outfits that the ball crew donned.

"I was so confused when I saw them the first time... Like why on earth the ball girls are wearing crop tops," the fan tweeted.

Another fan referred to the Madrid Open as the "definition of misogyny."

"It's Madrid Mat*a Open. The definition of misogyny. Disgraceful event. See models as *ball girls*. Carlos (Spanish) but seriously have some respect for Anaya & women generally Madrid Masters," the fan posted.

One user took issue with the models having to stand behind Carlos Alcaraz during his birthday celebrations after the Spaniard advanced to the Madrid Masters final.

"The models behind carlos p*ssing me off so bad was the decorative ball crew of models not enough objectification for them," they posted.

Here are some fan reactions to the model ball women at the present at the Madrid Open:

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Madrid Open in the midst of controversy over difference in birthday cake size for Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz presented with a cake at the 2023 Madrid Masters

The Madrid Open finalists in the men’s and women’s draw, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka respectively, both celebrated their birthdays on May 5. And they both receiving birthday cakes from the tournament too.

However, fans were quick to point out the considerable difference in the sizes of the two cakes. While Alcaraz was honored with a large multi-tiered cake, Sabalenka received a much smaller cake in comparison.

Victoria Azarenka chimed in on the issue and claimed that the difference in sizes of the cakes reflected the treatment towards women's players.

"Couldn't be more accurate on the treatment," Azarenka tweeted.

Bianca Andreescu also expressed her disappointment regarding the situation, claiming that Alcaraz's cake being much larger than Sabalenka's wasn't "right."

"This doesn't look right," the 2019 US Open champion tweeted.