Raymond Moore: Indian Wells chief executive resigns over “sexist” remarks on women’s tennis
Indian Wells tournament chief executive, Raymond Moore, has quit after making controversial comments on women's tennis which have been branded as sexist.
Moore said that the women's tour "rides on the coat-tails of the men's game" in an interview ahead of the women's final between Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams on Sunday.
"If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born because they have carried this sport, they really have," said Moore.
His comments were described as "sexist" by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) while women's world number one Serena Williams said his statement was "offensive and very inaccurate".
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A statement from tournament owner Larry Ellison said Moore had "decided to step down".
"I fully understand his decision," said Ellison.
"I would like to personally thank all the great women athletes who fought so hard for so many years in the pursuit of equal prize money in professional tenns.
"And I'd like to congratulate them on their success.All of us here at the BNP Paribas Open promise to continue working with everyone to make tennis a better sport for everybody."