Qatar Open's stark difference in gifts given to men and women pointed out by Ellen Perez after amusing complaint from women doubles runner-up

Ellen Perez recently highlighted a stark contrast in the gifts given to male and female players at the Qatar Open. The difference was pointed out by Perez after women's doubles runner-up Wu Fang-Hsien humorously complained about the lack of gifts this year.

Fang-Hsien had partnered with Jiang Xinyu for the doubles campaign at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Doha, and they began their campaign by defeating the pair of Cristina Bucsa and Miyu Kato and the second-seeded duo of Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko in the first and second rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, Fang-Hsien and Xinyu overcame the fifth-seeded pair of Chan Hao-ching and Veronika Kudermetova, and then in the semifinals they triumphed over Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund to advance to the final.

In the championship match, Wu Fang-Hsien and Xinyu fell short of winning the Qatar Open title and finished as the runner-up after losing 5-6, 6-7(10) to the third-seeded pair of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

Following the conclusion of the final match, during the trophy presentation ceremony, Fang-Hsien jokingly voiced her frustration over the absence of gifts, comparing it to 2024, when players received gifts.

“And last year they have player gifts, but I don't know why they don't have it," Wu Fang-Hsien said.

Reacting to the 25-year-old's complaint, Ellen Perez took to social media to point out the disparity in gifts between male and female players. She noted that while male players received iPhones, female players were given water bottles.

Perez also mentioned that in 2024, players received bracelets as gifts, which were not even provided this year by the Qatar Open organizers.

“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," Perez posted on X (formerly Twitter).

An X user asked the Aussie about tournaments which give the best gifts.

“Are Dubai gifts nice? I remember [Daria] Kasatkina in her vlog either said Middle East or Doha or Dubai have one of the best player gifts? Also, you’re great!" the user wrote .

In response, Ellen Perez stated that her concern lies not with the quality of gifts, but with the inequality between male and female players. She stressed that if male players in lower-tier events receive better gifts than female players in higher-tier events, it highlights a troubling disparity that should be addressed.

“Tbh my problem isn’t the gift it’s the disparity especially given the level of events. Dubai gives power bank and candle or something like that. I never think I deserve a gift but if you set the men’s standard high in a lower event it’s hard to not feel hard done by for the women," Perez replied.

Before finishing as the runner-up at the 2025 Qatar Open, Wu Fang-Hsien and Jiang Xinyu's best result this season was winning the women's doubles titles at the ASB Classic and the Hobart International.

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Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and others will compete at Qatar Open 2025

Novak Djokovic & Carlos Alcaraz will compete at Qatar Open 2025 [Image Source: Getty Images]

The men's Qatar Open is scheduled to take place from February 17 to February 22, 2025, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar. Players like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Alex de Minaur, among others, will compete at the ATP 500 hard court tournament.

Alcaraz is the top seed at the tournament and will kick off his campaign by taking on Marin Cilic in the first round. On the other hand, Djokovic is seeded third and will face Matteo Berrettini in his opening match.

Additionally, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will also be participating in the doubles event at the Qatar Open alongside Fernando Verdasco, having received a wild card entry to the main draw.

Karen Khachanov is the defending champion, and he will face compatriot Daniil Medvedev in the first round.