A TENNIS tournament replaced traditional ball kids with stunning models – and left a former world No1 unable to concentrate.
The Madrid Masters event, currently underway in the Spanish capital, made the unique decision for the dramatic switch in 2004.
The Madrid Masters introduced models in place of ball kids
The glamorous assistants caught plenty of attention
The models were picked up from agencies across the country
Andre Agassi joked it was hard to keep focus
Ion Tiriac, the ex-tennis player and mega-rich businessman, owned the tournament until 2021.
And it was the controversial Romanian who made the incredible call to bring in professional models to take on the role usually done by teenagers.
At Wimbledon, local schoolchildren go through intense training for months before the Championships with a strict selection process.
But Tiriac employed 80 models aged between 19 and 28 to hand balls and towels to the tennis stars, dressed in busty strap tops and miniskirts.
The glamorous assistants were paid £600 for the job and Andre Agassi could barely believe his eyes.
The American, married to fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf, said: “It was difficult, to say the least, to concentrate on the ball.
“But I suppose I had an advantage, I’m used to playing with my wife. I need some time to let it absorb.
“It’s important for our sport to understand its product clearly… but I’m not quite convinced it’s part of our product.”
Marat Safin, champion in 2004, added: “The models mean people are still talking about tennis.
“Good publicity, bad publicity. It doesn’t matter.”
The publicity stunt unsurprisingly received plenty of backlash.
Spanish government official Soledad Murillo said the introduction of models “contributes to fomenting clear discrimination towards women who appear as simple objects of decoration and amusement”.
Tiriac, though, refused to relent and instead doubled down by adding male models for the women’s version of the event.
The outfits changed over the years and it was thought the models were scrapped.
But groups of attractive young ladies have done the role this week decked out in tight black drop tops and flowing skirts – a different outfit from the rest of the regular ball kids deployed for the majority of matches.
The women were decked out in revealing outfits, and had Boss inked on their bodies
The move received criticism from the government
The women wore Hugo Boss clothing
They posed for photos with the champions including Andy Murray
Ball girls welcomed Carlos Alcaraz on to court this week
They wore black crop tops and blue skirts
