Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Australian Open Sparks Sexist Backlash After Asking Women To Move To Different Court

Aryna Sabalenka
Shi Tang/Getty Images

After organizers of the tennis grand slam asked defending champ Aryna Sabalenka and her quarterfinals opponent Barbora Krejcikova to move to a smaller arena due to scheduling complications, people called out how the same was not asked of the men.

Australian Open organizers were accused of sexism after they considered moving the women's quarterfinals from the tournament's main Rod Laver Arena to a smaller court due to a scheduling crisis on Tuesday night.

According to defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka, tournament officials asked her to move her quarterfinals with world No. 2 player Barbora Krejcikova to allow for the following men's match between Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev to start sooner and potentially finish before midnight.


The previous two matches, including Novak Djokovic's four-set victory over Taylor Fritz, were running overtime, which left officials concerned about early morning finishes on Wednesday.

But the women players refused to make the downgrade from the 15,000-seat Rod Laver Arena to the 7,500-seat Margaret Court Arena unless it was necessary.

Sabalenka managed to beat Krejcikove in straight sets within 71 minutes after their quarterfinals commenced at 9:09 p.m., two hours later than planned.

Sinner and Rublev didn’t start facing off on the main court until about 10:42 p.m.

Eurosport's Tim Henman and retired pro player John McEnroe discussed the proposed scheduling shuffle that sparked a sexism debate.

Henman said he was "intrigued" about the backlash and asked:

“Why are they asking the women to move, when they’re not the last match?"
"They’re alright, they’re going to play and are going to be a bit late, but it’s the last match of the day–[Andrey] Rublev and [Jannik] Sinner–they’re going to be behind the eight ball.”

McEnroe shared his insight and replied:

“I’ll tell you why they asked the women, because if it went 6-0, 6-1 in one hour then they [the fans] would all be up in arms."
"They stay on Rod Laver and let’s say they move the guys and Sabalenka wins easily, then everyone’s upset.”

Social media users vented their frustration.

Sabalenka spoke to ABC 7 and recalled officials suggesting they change arenas.

“They asked our opinions, what do we think, and if we want to be moved right now."
“We just told them that, well, let’s see how this match goes and if it’s going to be really long then maybe it’s a good idea to be moved so they’re not going to finish like [Daniil] Medvedev the other night."
“Novak won that set 6-2 and it was still quite early and we decided to wait for this match.”

She added that she and Krejcikova “agreed for the possibility to be moved” if 10-time champion Djokovic's match against Fritz extended into a fifth match.

According to The Age, Sabalenka also commented:

“I’m happy that it wasn’t that long [of a] match, and we were able to play on the Rod Laver Arena."
"I think for the quarterfinals match, it’s important to be played on such a big stadium."
“I mean, of course, it would be much better to start at 7pm, but you cannot control other matches. They played for long, but I just tried to focus on myself and just wait a bit longer."
"It’s not that bad ... we have to adapt quickly to the conditions. I think we did it well.”

When all was said and done, Sabalenka walked away at the end of the night a proud victor.

"I played great tennis,” she toldAssociated Press.

“I hope I can keep playing that way, or even better.”

All of the day's scheduled matches that started at 1 p.m. wound up being played out on the main court despite delays.

More from Trending

Cover of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

People's Response To Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word Of The Year Just Proved Their Point

Merriam-Webster dictionary nailed it with their 2024 Word of the Year selection that accurately defined the divisive reaction to the 2024 presidential election results.

The dictionary's account on X (formerly Twitter) declared this year's Word of the Year was, "Polarization," and joked:

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Nancy Mace Rages After Nobody Will Print Her Transphobic Holiday Wrapping Paper Design

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was called out after sharing a photo of her anti-trans wrapping paper design to lament that "no company" would print it due to its "offensive" nature.

Mace, who has courted significant controversy for her efforts to bar Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from using the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity, shared on social media that she attempted to create custom wrapping paper, seemingly intended for raising campaign funds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eugenio Derbez; Selena Gomez
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images

'Coda' Star Apologizes After Selena Gomez's Classy Response To His 'Emilia Pérez' Criticism

Actor Eugenio Derbez walked back his harsh review of Selena Gomez's Spanish in the new musical crime comedy film Emilia Pérez after she responded with class to the tough criticism of not being a fluent speaker.

Gomez stars as Spanish-speaking character Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel kingpin who undergoes gender-affirming surgery to start a new life as the titular Emilia Pérez.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
NBC

Trump Dragged After Claiming He 'Started Using' The Word 'Groceries' During The Election

President-elect Donald Trump was dragged after claiming he "started using" the word "groceries" during the election—before asking, "Who uses the word?"

Trump, in an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, emphasized the soaring grocery prices affecting millions of Americans as a pivotal factor in his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
man pointing up
Alex Sheldon on Unsplash

People Break Down Their 'I F*cking Knew It!' Experiences

Sometimes you feel like you just know something is true, even if you can't prove it.

You may find out you're completely wrong. People usually don't like to talk about or acknowledge when that happens.

Keep ReadingShow less