Madrid Open owner Ion Tiriac sparked outrage yesterday after not only indicating that male players deserve to be paid more than their female counterparts but then admitting that he prefers women on the court because they are “elegant” and “beautiful.”

The equality debate was reignited in March by grotesque comments from Indian Wells tournament director Raymond Moore about female players “riding on the coat-tails” of the men.

Moore had no option but to resign but the issue has continued to bubble under the surface.