The US Open revealed an unlikely sponsor this time, generating a lot of buzz online. However, partnering with Kalshi, a Manhattan-based prediction market platform, has not sat well with some players.

American tennis player Jessica Pegula was quite vocal about her displeasure at the partnership. During a recent media availability, she explained exactly why she condemns the sponsorship so strongly.

“Unreal that players can’t have sponsorships with b****** houses, we get hate from b****** on social media, but the tournaments do and they fill their pockets with them,” Pegula said, according to an X post by MrGrandSlam.  

In the US Open media appearance clip posted on X by MrGrandSlam, Pegula pointed out that players were often criticized by people who used platforms like Kalshi, and received backlash online.

So, for the US Open to blatantly advertise such a platform could be deemed quite disrespectful to players. Especially since the sponsorship gives Kalshi control over rules, branding, and safety notices displayed on the court

Not to mention, Pegula found it exploitative that the tournament was making money off of a sponsorship that used players as their commodity without allowing them to benefit in any way.

“And then they're a big sponsor behind the court or, you know, they're on TV. And it's tricky,” Pegula added. “I mean, it's everywhere and there's not really it's not really going away. I think anytime soon, especially when I look at other sports, I mean, b****** is a big part of keeping fans engaged.”

The tennis star concluded that with such partnerships becoming "inevitable", all she could do was ignore the negative effects of platforms like Kalshi.  

In fact, the double standard became even more glaring when several well-known tennis players came under scrutiny after allegedly attending a gathering hosted by a sports b****** company.

Serena Williams, Aryna Sabalenka and others come under ITIA scrutiny

Per an X post by tennis insider Ben Rothenberg, several athletes, including Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Serena Williams, came under fire from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for attending a party hosted by DraftKings in New York.

"The International Tennis Integrity Agency is looking into possible rule violations around a pre-US Open party sponsored by Draft Kings that featured an A-List guest list. Serena, Coco, Sabalenka and more were in attendance," Rothenberg posted on X on September 4.

The X post included photographs showing the tennis stars posing in front of a backdrop bearing the DraftKings logo.

Additionally, an Instagram post by entrepreneur David Grutman revealed that he was the one who had hosted the party and invited the players.

"Hosting @draftkings Welcome Players Party is my Favorite!!!" wrote Grutman on Instagram.

Rothenberg's post mentioned that the ITIA would be looking into whether the attendance marked a breach of its policies.

This brings back Pegula's comment about players being punished for engagement with b****** platforms while tournaments are exempt.

Written by

Arundhoti Palit