'Unfair and discriminatory': Tennis rocked by new sexism controversy

Anna Tatishvili has accused tennis officials of discrimination after she was stripped of her $74,000 first round prize money in controversial circumstances at the French Open.

The World No.723 copped the unprecedented fine at Roland Garros earlier this month for performing “below professional standards” during her first round loss.

The Georgian-born American was playing her first match on the WTA tour since October 2017, but was thrashed 6-1, 6-0 by Maria Sakkari in just 55 minutes.

It was the former World No.50’s first appearance at a grand slam since the 2017 Australian Open after undergoing a third ankle surgery in late 2018.

She was able to enter the French Open under a ‘WTA Special Ranking Rule’, which “allows players who are sidelined with a long-term injury with the ability to return to competition to use their ranking at the time of the start of their absence.”

However the lop-sided result drew the ire of the Grand Slam Board, who deemed that Tatishvili had contravened new rules aimed to discourage injured or ill players entering grand slams just to collect the prize money.

New rules were introduced at grand slams last year to prevent players taking to the court with no realistic chance of finishing a first-round match.

The decision to strip her prize money caused controversy at the time, with many pointing out that some matches lasted less time than Tatishvili’s, as well as the fact that Sakkari is World No.30 and a tough opponent.

Appeal launched

In a statement released by international law firm Kirkland & Ellis on Thursday, Tatishvili said: “Today, I appealed the unfair and discriminatory sanction imposed on me by the Grand Slam Board following my first-round match at the French Open.

“This was my first match played in nearly three years, after multiple ankle surgeries and months of intense rehabilitation.

“I am proud of my performance against an outstanding opponent. I hold myself to the highest professional standards, and will do everything in my power to overturn this unprecedented sanction and restore my name.”

Kirkland & Ellis noted: “A male player who also competed in the qualifying round at the 2019 French Open under a “Protected Ranking” had not previously played in a tournament since January 2017, and lost his match in 43 minutes, was not cited for a Code Violation and was not sanctioned.”

Citing “multiple tennis industry professionals, as well as statistical analysis provided by Scott Carr and Michal Malkiewicz at Ankura Consulting Group”, the firm said Tatishvili’s performance was in fact of a professional standard, pointing out that there were no hard and fast rules to determine such a label.

Lawyer Javier Rubinstein said Tatishvili was “wrongly labelled unprofessional.”

“Anna has dedicated 20 years of her life to tennis with professionalism and fierce resolve,” Rubinstein said.

“This sanction violated Anna’s rights as a professional athlete. We will do what is necessary to vindicate those rights and restore the reputation for excellence and integrity that Anna has built throughout her career.

“If left to stand, the sanction imposed here also represents a dangerous precedent for the sport of tennis, sending the untenable message that a player’s performance can and should be judged solely on the basis of the match’s duration or the final score, while unfairly deterring players who are returning to competition from injury or disability from competing in Grand Slam tournaments.”

Tatishvili is seeking for the entirety of the fine and code violation to be vacated.