“Unity is Strength”: Former French Open Champion Calls for Pay Gap Reduction Between Men and Women’s Tennis

There has been an ongoing debate about a future possible merger of the ATP and the WTA. Recently, former Italian tennis player and Grand Slam winner Francesca Schiavone also expressed her opinions about the same. In a recent interview, Schiavone talked about the strength of unity and seconded the motion of the merger.

“Today, the gap in terms of remuneration between men and women is huge. The more force there is the more money we will find, and therefore more possibilities that the players grow up and can invest their money in a work team, a coach, or a physiotherapist. Unity is strength,” said the 40-year-old Schiavone.

Schiavone firmly believes that the merger would not only strengthen the bond between the two bodies but also solve the problem of unfair pay. She emphasized that there was a huge pay gap between the players lately and it needed to go away.

“It is more attractive”- Francesca Schiavone on WTA Tennis

It is evident that Schiavone wanted to put the side of women tennis players in front of the world as well. Although she believes that both men and women are different, she advocated for the integration of the two bodies.

“It is clear that you cannot ask a woman to go 220 km/h like a man does. But we can combine the best of both circuits, both: the capacity of the women’s circuit to generate publicity,” continued the former Italian tennis player.

Schiavone even said that according to her, women’s tennis was much more attractive to watch. Due to this, she believed that it would attract even more sponsors and advertisers.

“Women have a lot of pull both on TV and on the web, and the skill of men. The game of women is more attractive to watch and this is a magnet for advertising… In addition, the sponsors are attracted to the world of women by their character and their mentality. Women are much stronger and better communicatively,” concluded Schiavone.

Schiavone certainly wants to extend her support to women tennis players so that they could excel. She strongly expressed her point of view in the interview and said that the merger would not only bring unity but equality as well.

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