Indian Wells tournament director Raymond Moore resigned on Monday after coming under heavy fire for saying women's players "ride on the coat-tails of the men".

Top-ranked Serena Williams and retired legend Martina Navratilova were among the critics who slammed Moore for his comments at the Indian Wells tournament, one of the biggest in the sport.

"Ray let me know that he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and tournament director effective immediately," the event's owner, software billionaire Larry Ellison, said on the tournament website.

Moore, a 69-year-old former player from South Africa, had earlier apologised for his "extremely poor taste and erroneous" remarks about the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

"You know, in my next life, when I come back, I want to be someone in the WTA because they ride on the coat-tails of the men," Moore had told reporters at the tournament.

"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."