French Open 2019 - 'Thiem is owed an apology' - Croft & Cash weigh in on Serena press conference row
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Updated 03/06/2019 at 13:20 GMT
Annabel Croft believes that Dominic Thiem has been treated "disrespectfully" after having to cut short his press conference to accomodate Serena Williams.
Dominic Thiem
Image credit: Getty Images
The Austrian was addressing the media after his French Open win over Pablo Cuevas on Saturday when he was asked to vacate the press room for the 37-year-old, who had just lost to Sofia Kenin. Thiem reacted by storming out and accused Williams of having a "bad personality" to Eurosport on Sunday.
Croft, a Eurosport analyst at Roland Garros, believes that the tournament organisers are guilty of pandering to the 23-time Grand Slam champion and feels that Thiem is due an apology for the row.
"It's the fear factor. It's the fact that they're frightened that had she not done the press conference straight away, she might leave the site and then the press and the world's media won't get those quotes that they want to send out," she said.
"It's a question of who's in charge here. It's unbelievably disrespectful to a man who's still in the draw. And for whatever reason, she should be made to wait an extra five minutes until he'd finished.
"Had it been a role reversal, there would have been absolute uproar. It's just appalling I think. He's owed an apology I think to be honest with you. I really do."
Pat Cash, also working for Eurosport in Paris, was also quick to back up Thiem.
"Everybody screwed up there. Dominic is not just some junior or some unknown qualifier," he said. "He's a guy who got to the French Open final last year, he got to the semi-final the year before, he's Top 10, he's one of the favourites here.
"For Serena to say I'm going in there no matter what, whether it's the organisers, or what, either way it was really wrong. Really disrespectful. It's boiling over too often."
Thiem has received the support of Roger Federer in the row.
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