Pam Shriver asks Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff to make “two speeches” in Italian Open final after Madrid fiasco

Pam Shriver is hoping that the Italian Open turns out well for women’s doubles finalists Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, who were wronged during their recent Madrid Open final.

On Thursday, May 18, Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff reached the Italian Open women’s double final with victory over Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Shuurs 4-6, 7-6 (5), 10-8. This is the pair’s third consecutive WTA 1000 final, having won the Miami Open and finished as the runner-up at the Madrid Open.

Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff’s Miami Open trophy ceremony went off without a hitch. At the recent Madrid Open, however, the runner-up duo as well as the winning pair of Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia were unethically stopped from giving their finalists speeches — an incident which generated controversy and was condemned by the tennis world for its seemingly misogynistic nature.

Former American tennis player Pam Shriver has now playfully requested Pegula to make two speeches after their upcoming Italian Open final on Saturday, to compensate for the absence of speeches in the Spanish capital.

“Please make two speeches!” Pam Shriver said in a tweet, as the Americans reached the women’s double final.