The WTA have been dealing with a few uncomfortable stories over the first few days of its marquee end-of-season finals in Indian Wells and now another story has bubbled to the surface.
The WTA Finals is the highest-profile tournament on the women’s tour outside of the four Grand Slams, with the top eight players in the world qualifying for the event each year.
This year’s edition already had some challenges prior to the first ball being struck, with Saudi Arabia’s decision to pull out of hosting duties leaving WTA Tour chiefs in a rush to find a replacement venue.
Their move to switch the event to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden was shrewd, as it took the tournament to a venue that has a long tradition of running the event and what should have been an audience waiting to attend.
So the swathes of empty seats that have been impossible to disguise on the opening days of the tournament have been a big disappointment and that is not the only PR calamity WTA Tour chiefs have been dealing with.
More Tennis News
Alarming attendances at WTA Finals set to continue as embarrassing issue is exposed
Jessica Pegula could face uncomfortable clash with the player she called a ‘diva’ at WTA Finals
The top players taking part in the WTA Finals were not informed about the presence of microphones on the practice courts, with Jessica Pegula’s candid comments calling rival Mirra Andreeva a ‘diva’ picked up by fans watching the live coverage.
That forced WTA Tour chiefs to issue an apology for not informing the players that their comments were being broadcast, with Pegula also issuing apologies for her role in the embarrassing incident.
Now fresh criticism has been poured onto the event by the Tennis Podcast, with host Catherine Whitaker scathing in her views on the outfits provided to the players for their pre-tournament photo shoot.
A WTA press release explained the philosophy behind the photos, which have not gone down well on social media platforms.
“This year’s photography celebrates the personalities and individual fashion identities shaping women’s tennis,” explained the WTA message.
“From cheering in the stands to revelling in the championship atmosphere, the athletes embrace their roles as spectators and superfans to bring their personal style to life through the moments surrounding the sport.
“Styled by Danyul Brown, singles players embraced a range of styles straight from the runway, featuring Fall/Winter 2026 and Resort 2027 collections from leading fashion houses.”
Teenager Andreeva admitted she took time to warm to the outfit she was given to wear for the WTA photo shoot, with the ‘traditional’ outfit torn apart by Whitaker on her podcast.
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
“I was expecting a follow up post to say joke… I could not believe my eyes,” declared Whitaker as she spoke about the fashion parade at the WTA Finals.
“Conceptually, doing high fashion, I have got no issue with. Good idea.
“The problem is taking it wholesale from a catwalk model and putting it on a tennis player without any accounting for their style, their individual style, their body shape… it just looked like the clothes were wearing them.
“Then there is the backdrop that looks like they are in a marquee of a naff wedding. And they’ve got a plinth with the trophy on it and some cheap, sad looking flowers in it. Why did they do that?”
Whitaker then tore into the outfits worn by Pegula and Andreeva as she added: “I will never get over that Jessica Pegula look or the Mirra Andreeva Channel one. This is a teenager… you’ve dressed her like a Republican First Lady!”
READ NEXT: Coco Gauff criticises ‘stupid’ WTA Finals rules and hints they could change after Linda Noskova loss
O que achou dessa notícia? Deixe um comentário abaixo e/ou compartilhe em suas redes sociais. Assim conseguiremos informar mais pessoas sobre o que acontece no mundo do tênis!
Convidamos você a clicar em Página de Parceiros para conhecer os parceiros do Tênis Portal e acessar seus sites.
Esta notícia foi originalmente publicada em: Fonte original