Ellen Perez Highlights Gender Disparity in Qatar Open Gifts

Ellen Perez highlights the inequity in prizes at the Qatar Open after Wu Fang-Hsien’s humorous comment on the lack of gifts. Men’s players received iPhones, while women only got water bottles. Perez emphasizes the troubling disparity in treatment, urging for a reevaluation of gifting practices across genders. Upcoming events will feature prominent tennis stars including Djokovic and Alcaraz.

Ellen Perez recently emphasized the inequality in prizes awarded to male and female competitors at the Qatar Open. Her remarks followed a lighthearted complaint from women’s doubles runner-up Wu Fang-Hsien regarding the lack of gifts this year. Fang-Hsien and her partner Jiang Xinyu performed admirably throughout the tournament, defeating strong teams before ultimately finishing as the runners-up.

During the award ceremony, Fang-Hsien humorously expressed her disappointment over the absence of player gifts, contrasting this year’s situation with the previous year when gifts were provided. “And last year they have player gifts, but I don’t know why they don’t have it,” she commented. Following this, Ellen Perez utilized social media to highlight the significant disparity between the prizes given to male and female players.

Perez pointed out that while male players were awarded iPhones, female players only received water bottles, and the jewelry gifts given in the past had been eliminated. “The men get iPhones every year and this year we get a water bottle… Last year we at least got a bracelet but I guess that even got too much to ask for @QatarTennis,” she stated.

In response to an inquiry about the best gift-giving tournaments, Perez focused on the issue of gender inequality rather than the quality of the gifts themselves. She articulated that the contrasting standards of gifts between male and female athletes, especially given their performance levels, reveals an unjust disparity. “…if you set the men’s standard high in a lower event it’s hard to not feel hard done by for the women,” she remarked.

As for the current season, Fang-Hsien and Jiang Xinyu previously secured doubles titles at the ASB Classic and the Hobart International. The next Qatar Open, featuring prominent players such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, is scheduled for February 17 to February 22, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. Alcaraz is ranked first and will face Marin Cilic, while Djokovic is seeded third and will compete against Matteo Berrettini.

In addition to singles, Djokovic will also participate in the doubles event alongside Fernando Verdasco, having received a wild card entry. Defending champion Karen Khachanov will begin his campaign against fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev in the opening round.

The disparity in gifts between male and female players at the Qatar Open has been brought to light by Ellen Perez and Wu Fang-Hsien. While male players continue to receive luxurious gifts such as iPhones, female players’ rewards have diminished to water bottles. This situation highlights the need for greater equality in the treatment of male and female athletes in professional sports. Moving forward, it is essential for tournaments to take note of these disparities and implement consistent standards for all players, regardless of gender.

Original Source: www.sportskeeda.com