Even though they both won the Cincinnati Open, Jannik Sinner made considerably more prize money than Aryna Sabalenka. Sinner saw a payday of around £800,000 for his win, while Sabalenka was awarded just shy of £400,000.
The world’s No. 2 ranked women’s tennis player has now voiced her displeasure at the pay gap. Sabalenka stressed the disparity in earnings between the men’s and women’s events and called it unfair.
“From the TV point of view, from the ticket selling, from every point of view, it’s unfair,” Sabalenka told The Guardian.
“Of course, guys are always going to be physically stronger than women but it doesn’t mean we’re not working as hard as they do. Women deserve to be paid an equal amount of money that men do.”
Her comments quickly gained traction on social media, where her supporters backed her claims.
One fan on X wrote, “I agree. We all pay the same dollar amount for tickets, so why do men get paid more?” Another fan highlighted the difference, calling it “absolutely ridiculous” that the women’s winner received less than half the prize money of the men’s winner in the same tournament.
Beyond Sabalenka, the pay issues are wider than just the main singles competitions. The doubles events at Cincinnati saw Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic win roughly $322,000 in prize money as the men’s doubles champions.
Women’s winners Asia Muhammed and Erin Routliffe were reported to get about $154,000 for their win. Cincinnati Open spokespersons were forced to acknowledge the pay differences due to online backlash and stated their commitment to achieving equal prize money by 2027.
“Equal prize money is extremely important to us, and we are actively working toward achieving that goal. The economic reality is prize money levels are based upon the amount of broadcast, data, and sponsorship revenues that are received, with the market currently paying a much higher fee for the rights associated with men’s sports properties than that of women, thus the difference in prize money,” read their official statement.
“As part of the 2024 Circuit Structure initiative, we have made the commitment, irrespective of the economic realities, to make the incremental investment required to achieve equal prize money by 2027.”
The US Open was the first Grand Slam tournament to offer equal prize money 1973. The Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open later followed in their footsteps.
But outside of Grand Slams, the pay gap remains wide across each ATP and WTA tour event. Last season, Iga Swiatek got £278,000 for winning the Italian Open, while Novak Djokovic earned a reported £700,000 for his victory at the same event.
Sabalenka will compete in the upcoming US Open from Aug 26 to Sept 8. She made it to the semifinals, where she was defeated by champion Coco Gauff.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk