Eugenie Bouchard: Guys should 'flex their muscles'

MELBOURNE, Australia – On the third day of the "twirl" controversy swirling around the Australian Open, Eugenie Bouchard addressed the issue head-on with reporters.

"I stay out of this stuff," Bouchard said in a press conference after her third round win. "I'm fine with being asked to twirl if they're going to ask the guys to flex their muscles and stuff."

Wednesday night Bouchard was asked on court by an Australian TV reporter to twirl for the cameras – which she did – the question then gaining steam around the globe as a sexist remark.

"The Australian Open interviewer asking the women to "twirl" on court is out of line," wrote tennis legend Billie Jean King on her social media accounts. "This is truly sexist. If you ask the women, you have to ask the guys to twirl as well. Let's focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders and not our looks."

King was also referring to Serena Williams being asked the same question the night prior to Bouchard, though Williams was asked because she was describing her new dress, discussing the open-back cut of it.

"Personally, I'm not offended," Bouchard continued. "No, I think it was an in-the-moment thing and it was funny. Yeah, I mean, it's funny how it's taken (on) a life of its own. I'm just going to focus on my tennis."

A year ago Bouchard was thrust into another equality debate: After her quarterfinal win, she was asked which celebrity she might be keen to date. Her response – Justin Bieber – drew plenty of criticism, but not as much as the question (asked by a different commentator), which was also labeled as sexist.

Asked if this reminded Bouchard of a year ago, she said it did.

"I guess a little bit," the Canadian ranked No. 7 in the world said. "They try to ask funny questions. It's entertaining I guess. I don't mind it. People can think what they want about it, but I just answer how I want and do what I want. I'm fine with it."

"I guess I find it more entertaining I'm happy that I've played three solid matches here and we could definitely be a little more focused on that."

Bouchard next faces world No. 42 Irina-Camelia Begu in the fourth round. If the seeds hold, she's due to meet Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals.

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