Social media erupted with chatter. Some called it sexist, some questioned whether a male player would be asked to twirl after winning a match, and some dismissed the debate, saying they didn’t feel sorry for a highly-paid athlete being asked to twirl.
Billie Jean King added to the chorus of criticism.
“This is truly sexist,” tweeted King, an 11-time grand slam winner and a longtime campaigner for equal rights in tennis.
“Let’s focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders, and not our looks.”
The 20-year-old Bouchard, a 1.78-metre photogenic blonde, has become one of tennis’ newest cover girls. She won the Wimbledon juniors’ title in 2012 and has made rapid progress ever since.
“I’m happy that I’ve played three solid matches here,” Bouchard said, “and we could definitely be a little bit more focused on that”
.She reached the semi-finals at last year’s Australian and French Opens followed by the Wimbledon final which ushered her into the No. 7-ranking — the highest ever for a Canadian player.
Bouchard won her third-round match Friday, beating Caroline Garcia of France 7-5 6-0. After a few questions on tennis, her post-match news conference turned to the twirl.
“I was waiting for this one,” Bouchard said, smiling.
Players typically say that during big tournaments they try to stay away from newspapers and limit their time on social media to keep their minds on the game. But Bouchard said she was aware that the incident had caused a stir.
“My friends are texting me, saying I dance and twirl well and stuff, as jokes,” she said. “It’s just funny how it’s taken a life of its own. I’m just going to try to focus on my tennis.”
She raised her eyebrows when asked if this was a deja vu of an embarrassing question she faced last year, when an on-court interviewer asked her which celebrity she’d most like to date.
“You mean the Bieber question?” she said. Her answer at the time had been fellow Canadian Justin Bieber.
“I don’t know. They try to ask funny questions. It’s entertaining, I guess. I don’t mind it.”
But she added that it would be nice to move on.