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ESPN staff 6y

ATP apologises after NextGen ATP Finals draw branded 'disgrace'

Tennis

ATP and Red Bull have apologised for the offensive nature of the NextGen ATP Final draw in Milan.

The draw Sunday saw players select a model to lead them down a catwalk. The model then revealed an "A" or "B" to determine which side of the draw the player would compete in.

The ceremony was supposed to highlight Milan's status as a fashion capital, but the scene on the catwalk Sunday left onlookers stunned.

"ATP and Red Bull apologise for the offence caused by the draw ceremony for the Next Gen ATP Finals," an ATP statement read. "The intention was to integrate Milan's rich heritage as one of the fashion capitals of the world. However, our execution of the proceedings was in poor taste and unacceptable. We deeply regret this and will ensure that there is no repeat of anything like it in the future."

The statement came after a barrage of criticism of the draw, including from 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, who tweeted that it was a "disgrace."

While the first two players simply walked down the runway, the criticism begun when Denis Shapovalov's side of the draw was revealed by the model showing "A" on her right thigh.

American Jared Donaldson was then shown his grouping by his model dancing in front of him with a "B" on her back.

Mauresmo was joined by Judy Murray who commented "awful" on social media, while France's world No. 38 Alize Cornet stated that the tournament was "supposed to be a futurist event, right?"

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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