Miyu Kato was controversially disqualified from the 2023 French Open Women's Doubles alongside partner Aldila Sutjiadi in the third round after Kato inadvertently struck a ball girl in the neck.
Kato saw the tennis world gather behind her but still this appeal was rejected and instead she was slapped with a fine. Speaking to CLAY Magazine though, she cited the ball kid's gender and the duration they cried as the reasoning given.
She said she was told that if it was a boy, it would've been different as well as because it was on the neck compared to other body parts.
"The umpire and the supervisor talked to me afterward and said, 'If the ballkid was a boy, it would have been ok,'" Miyu Kato said.
"They also explained to me that since the girl cried for more than 15 minutes they had to make a decision because if she had stopped after five minutes, everything would have been alright; or if the ball had hit her legs or arms, everything would have been okay. But no, because it was in the neck it was different," she added.
Many under the tweet by The Tennis Letter called out the sexism in play. "Apparently boys don’t cry. Or French boys don’t. At least not for more than 5 minutes."
"The world is getting soft." as well as some being left without words. "I'm not often utterly speechless but on this occasion I am utterly speechless."
Miyu Kato: “The umpire & supervisor told me ‘If the ballkid was a boy, it would’ve been ok.’ They explained to me that since the girl cried for more than 15 minthey had to make a decision, bc if she had stopped after 5 minutes, everything would have been alright’” No words.
