In an attempt to draw attention to the upcoming tournament, Tennis Canada promoted the upcoming Rogers Cup with controversial advertisements some feminist groups called sexist.
The groups said the tournament is "explicitly gendered in a way that says that the hot tennis girls are fun to watch but the real show are the male pros."
One of those sites, feministing.com posted an image of the advertisement showcasing Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, as well as retired tennis greats Andre Agassi and Jon McEnroe. The ad says, "Come for the ladies, stay for the legends," but has recently been changed by Tennis Canada after much scrutiny.
"Legends" is a term for a wing of ATP tour that features retired male and female tennis greats.
The new slogan reads, "Making History, Re-Living History," and the organization released an apology.
"We apologize if the original campaign slogan was perceived to be sexist or at all derogatory towards the women of Rogers Cup," read a statement. "It was never our intent but hopefully the adjustments we have made – all of which should hit the market next week – address the concerns voiced."
This comes just weeks after feministing.com was irked that the Wimdledon website featured a poll where you could vote for the best looking female tennis player, with the chance at winning tickets.
