The WTA has apologized and admitted it did not tell players their on-court conversations during practice sessions at the WTA Finals were being broadcast.
A controversy has erupted in Indian Wells after Jessica Pegula was heard on the WTA’s YouTube livestream making derogatory comments about Mirra Andreeva and her coach, Conchita Martínez.
A conversation between Pegula and her coach, Mark Knowles, has been widely scrutinized, with the American criticizing the attitude of the Russian. Pegula can clearly be heard calling the 19-year-old a “diva” and saying she has lost respect for former Wimbledon champion Martínez for not calling out her behavior.
“If I was a coach and my girl, you just played four great games, and you’re up four-zero, and you’re mad at me, hitting balls at me, I would be like, first of all, [that’s] disrespectful to the other person,” Pegula said. “You’re up 4-0, shut the fuck up. But she just can’t.”
Pegula goes on to say Andreeva would be better than her fellow American Coco Gauff if she had the same mentality. Another practice session, meanwhile, saw world No 1 Elena Rybakina having an apparent spat with her coach.
A spokesperson for the governing body said: “The WTA takes full responsibility for failing to inform our players and their teams that microphones, in place to give fans a livestream of the players’ practice, were active on the courts at the WTA Finals.
“We sincerely apologize for failing to meet our responsibility to ensure players and coaches were properly informed.”
The tour had intended for the microphones to capture ambient sounds from the court and has acknowledged it failed to ensure the appropriate safeguards were in place. The WTA said it would continue to livestream practice sessions but without audio.
The WTA Finals, which feature the year’s top eight singles players and doubles teams, begin on Sunday. Pegula and Andreeva have been drawn in different groups and cannot meet until the semi-finals.
The incidents follow a debate at the Australian Open in January around the broadcasting of backstage areas, with Gauff annoyed after being filmed smashing her racket in what she thought was a private area.
Gauff called for more privacy, while former world No 1 Iga Świątek said players were being treated like animals in a zoo.
