Magic Johnson tells that in the 80s at the time of the fabulous Lakers able to win 5 NBA titles in a decade, he was often distracted during time-outs and instead of listening to the coach he observed the beautiful girls in the stands. Who knows what would have happened if while he was playing he had been surrounded on the sidelines by wonderful models.
This is what happens at the Master 1000 in Madrid where instead of the usual tennis-loving teenagers, there are some splendid girls catching balls to return them to the tennis players on the pitch. Idea actually had in 2004 by Ion Tiriac who ran the tournament at the time, which hired 80 girls from a modeling agency and dressed them in sexy attire. At the time, a Spanish government official stated that the introduction of models as ball girls “helps to foment a clear discrimination against women who appear as mere objects of decoration and entertainment”. Tiriac, however, refused to give in to those who asked him to remove the models from the field, limiting himself to using male models as ball boys in the women’s tournament. Over the years the only change was in the field of clothing which became decidedly more chaste compared to the year of its debut, which dampened the controversy. This year, on the other hand, groups of young and attractive girls once again wore tight black tops and flowing skirts, a decidedly different attire from the one consolidated over the years.
He turns 53, without tennis for 17
Brooke Shields and Steffi Graf
And maybe even out of the spirit of the time. So much so that this year there are also those who criticize the choice for the first time and reveal how in the past they had difficulty concentrating on the game distracted by so much beauty on the pitch. This is the case of André Agassi who reveals to the British newspaper «The Sun» : «In 2004 it was difficult, to say the least, to concentrate on the ball, even if I had an advantage, I was used to playing with my wife (Steffi Graff)». Then he rejects the current choice, explaining that even now some players may have problems concentrating on the game and concludes, «It is important for our sport to clearly understand your product… and I am not entirely convinced that the one shown in Madrid makes part of our product.
