(Reuters) - The ATP denounced BNP Paribas Open chief executive Raymond Moore's disparaging comments about female players while saying tournaments should decide how much to pay women.
Moore provoked outrage on Sunday when he said top-level women's players rode "on the coattails of the men" and were "very, very lucky" to have equal prize money.
"Ray Moore's comments towards women's tennis were disparaging and made in poor taste, as Ray has subsequently acknowledged," ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode said in a statement on Monday.
Kermode also said the ATP, the governing body for men's tennis, supports equality across society but acknowledged that it operates in the sports and entertainment business.