SPORTS

WTA CEO calls 'coattails' comment 'disappointing and alarming'

The Associated Press Published Monday, March 21, 2016 11:48AM EDT

In this March 22, 2015, photo provided by BNP Paribas Open, Steve Simon gestures before the start of the women's tennis final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. (Billie Weiss/BNP Paribas Open)

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The former tournament director at Indian Wells who now runs the WTA Tour calls his successor's critical comments about women's tennis players "disappointing and alarming."

Before Sunday's finals at the BNP Paribas Open, current tournament director Raymond Moore told reporters that the women "ride on the coattails of the men." He later issued a written apology.

Moore's longtime colleague at Indian Wells, Steve Simon, became the WTA's CEO last fall. In a statement late Sunday, Simon added that the "WTA stands on its own and was founded on the principles of equality and empowerment."

The president of the U.S. Tennis Association, Katrina Adams, said in a statement Monday there is "no place in this sport for antiquated, sexist or uninformed ideologies."

Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka also repudiated Moore's comments after they played in the final Sunday.