"The Italians are a disgrace; No respect for players" - Fans react to Elena Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina's Italian Open final scheduling disaster

Tennis fans have been left disappointed with the poor scheduling of the 2023 Italian Open final, which saw Elena Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina start their contest very late at night. Many fans drew parallels between this scheduling mishap and that of the recently concluded Madrid Open.

On Saturday, May 20, the men's semifinal matches were scheduled to take place before the women's singles final. Unfortunately, rain during the day caused the semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas to be interrupted several times before it finally concluded.

As a result, the Italian Open women's singles final had to be pushed back, much to the disappointment of the fans. The scheduling mishap left fans feeling angry, frustrated, and discontented. Many took to social media to express their disappointment and outrage.

One fan compared the situation to the events that unfolded at the Madrid Open and called it a "shameful month for tennis".

"The organisers of both Madrid & Rome should all be removed from their posts on Monday. Their utterly shambolic events have made this a shameful month for tennis," a fan said.

Another fan expressed their disappointment that the organizers had not learned from past mistakes and failed to listen to the players when they voiced their concerns about such issues.

"The last two tournaments have been disastrous! Such a horrible schedules. One would think they could learn from past and listen to players… Tonight did they forget about Kalinina? Wtf… yuppers," a tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

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Tennis players express disappointment about enormous pay gap between men and women at Italian Open 2023

Ons Jabeur and Paula Badosa at the 2023 Italian Open.

Tennis stars have voiced their disappointment regarding the substantial disparity in prize money between male and female players, particularly at the 2023 Italian Open.

The Italian Open will award 1,000 points to both the men's and women's champions, with best-of-three matches and equal ticket prices. However, the ATP winner will receive a staggering €1,105,265, while the WTA winner will only receive €521,754.

Ons Jabeur and Paula Badosa, who are part of the Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), called for equal pay in the sport. Jabeur said:

“It’s really frustrating. It’s time for change. It’s time for the tournament to do better.”

Badosa questioned tournament organizers, saying:

“I don’t know why it’s not equal right now. They don’t inform us. They say this is what you get and you have to play.”