The Madrid Open tournament director was forced to respond after a ‘cake-gate’ storm took over the event on Friday. Carlos Alcaraz was presented with a large cake following his semi-final victory on what was his 20th birthday. But Victoria Azarenka hit out at organisers after WTA world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka received a much smaller dessert to celebrate her 25th on the same day.
The Madrid Open celebrated two birthdays on Friday, as the world No 2s in both the ATP and WTA rankings turned 20 and 25 respectively. While Sabalenka wasn’t playing, Alcaraz scored a win on his special day as he defeated Borna Coric 6-4 6-3 in the semi-final.
After advancing to the final, the top seed was asked to stay on the court as a large, two-tier cake with sparklers was presented to him. With Sabalenka enjoying a day of rest ahead of her own final appearance, the Belarusian was presented with a smaller, single-tier cake behind the scenes during the day.
Fans started posting comparisons between the sizes of the cakes, which caught the attention of Sabalenka’s compatriot Azarenka. “Couldn’t be more accurate on the treatment,” the two-time Grand Slam champion tweeted, reposting photos of the two cakes.
It prompted a response from Feliciano Lopez – the ATP pro who acts as the tournament director in Madrid. “I’m surprised by this reaction after this gesture!” he tweeted.
Explaining why Alcaraz was given a bigger cake, he added: “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.”
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