Twirl On A Tennis Court? Sexism Row Breaks Out

Serena Williams says male players would not be asked to twirl as on-court requests to her and Bouchard spark claims of sexism.

Eugenie Bouchard seemed surprised when she was asked: 'Give us a twirl?'

"Give us a twirl?"

An off-the-cuff request by an on-court interviewer to rising star Eugenie Bouchard, the Wimbledon runner-up, has set off a furious backlash on the Twitter-sphere - and dominated the talk at the Australian Open.
Some called the request by male commentator Ian Cohen sexist. Others on Twitter wondered if a man would be asked to twirl after winning a match.
Serena Williams has weighed in.

Serena Williams is the sport's top player and one of its biggest stars

"I wouldn't ask Rafa or Roger to twirl," she said, referring to the game's biggest male stars, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Williams was asked to twirl, too, by the same presenter a day earlier.
"I didn't really want to twirl because … I don't need all the extra attention," said the number one-ranked tennis player.
She was philosophical about the row, saying: "Whether I twirl or not, it's not the end of the world."
And, added the American player, when she takes dance classes: "I twirl all the time".
The 20-year-old Bouchard, a Canadian, appeared surprised when she was asked to twirl after winning her second-round match on Wednesday.

Twitter users were not amused

She said: "A twirl?", and then obliged. Then she buried her face in her hands.
Later, at a press conference, she said the request was "very unexpected".
"An old guy asking you to twirl. It was funny," said Bouchard.
But Twitter users were not amused - and the backlash did not abate.
"We need more people to stand up against sexism. No one is asking @rogerfederer to twirl. Don't ask @geniebouchard!" wrote @marshaboyd.
Another user, @mrmatthogg, wrote sarcastically: "Gonna start asking men to twirl whenever they accomplish something in front of a group of people."