“In my next life, when I come back, I want to be someone in the WTA, because they ride on the coattails of the men,” Moore said. “They don’t make any decisions, and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky. 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.”

Moore apologized for his remarks Sunday afternoon, but after Williams had already condemned them. Others soon followed, including Steve Simon, the chief executive of the WTA, whom Moore had succeeded as tournament director at Indian Wells. Simon called Moore’s words “a breach of our code of conduct” and indicated that the WTA board would consider disciplinary measures.

In his statement, Ellison praised the leadership of Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.

“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 tennis,” Ellison said. “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.”

On Tuesday, speaking from the Miami Open, some of tennis’s top players continued to criticize Moore’s comments.