"Feliciano Lopez is gaslighting" - Madrid Open director's attempt at justifying Carlos Alcaraz's bigger cake infuriates tennis fans further

If Carlos Alcaraz getting a much bigger cake than Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 Madrid Open wasn't enough of a problem, tournament director Feliciano Lopez defending it has annoyed tennis fans further.

Alcaraz and Sabalenka both celebrated their birthdays on May 5. Another reason for them to rejoice was the fact that both reached their respective finals at the prestigious tournament.

However, the difference in the sizes of the cakes presented to them was too big to ignore. Not just fans, but players like Victoria Azarenka and Bianca Andreescu also expressed their disappointment at the different treatment of the players. Many pointed out that Alcaraz and Sabalenka are both ranked second, have won an equal number of Majors, and the Belarusian has in fact won one more 1000 title than Alcaraz.

Lopez, however, took a thinly veiled jibe at Azarenka as he shared a photograph of Holger Rune being presented with a small cake and justified the tournament's actions.

Fans called out the 41-year-old in response, calling him a "misogynist." Many also reminded Lopez that the issue was not the size of the cake but the difference in the treatment of the players based on their gender.

"Feliciano is gaslighting. It's not about the size of a cake. This tournament was owned by a misogynist who sued the WTA multiple times, including for the right to pay women less. Gave female winners some KMart looking trophy every year," a fan tweeted.

"Numerous people calling out bad schedule, sexualization of ball girls and other issues. Never seen him respond. But hey, cake is important," another user wrote.

"So you respond to the cake gate but when people discuss terrible scheduling, model ball girls used as decoration you are very quiet," another tweet read.

Here are some more fan reactions:

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The Madrid Open 2023 finals are locked

Iga Swiatek (L) and Aryna Sabalenka are Madrid Open finalists

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will take on World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final of the 2023 Madrid Open on Saturday. Swiatek has won five out of their seven meetings so far.

The last time they played was at the Stuttgart Open a few days ago, where the Pole registered a straight-sets victory.

Carlos Alcaraz, on the other hand, will square off against German lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff in the title clash on Sunday, May 7. Both have won one match each against each other.

Struff beat Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals and became the first lucky loser ever to reach the finals of a Masters 1000 tournament.

If Alcaraz defends his Madrid Open title and just plays one match at the Italian Open, he will replace Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1