The issue of the pay gap between the ATP and the WTA has been largely eradicated from tennis. However, it still plagues a few tournaments. Most recently, the Cincinnati Masters came to a conclusion which saw great champions in Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic. But the two won’t be paid an equal amount of prize money. In fact, Djokovic will be paid more than 100% of Gauff’s earnings.
This is not the first time Gauff had to receive less payment than her ATP counterpart for the same tournament. She won the Citi Open before playing the Canadian Open and found herself with a third of the prize money received by the men’s singles winner.
Coco Gauff to be paid less than 50% of Novak Djokovic
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Gauff played a fantastic match during her stint in the Western & Southern Open. She won against each player she faced and emerged triumphant. Djokovic also had a fantastic run as he bulldozed past each opponent, only to find a tough fight in Carlos Alcaraz. But he won and joined Gauff as the winner. Both players will be paid handsomely for their efforts. But the prize money is nowhere near equal.
Myles David, host of the Tuned Into Tennis podcast, shed light on the major disparity of the prize money between the two players. “Novak Djokovic will receive $1,019,335 for winning the ATP1000 event in Cincinnati. Coco Gauff will receive $454,500 for winning the WTA1000 event in Cincinnati. They played at the same venue all week, They played best of 3 sets all week, They will not get paid the same“.
Novak Djokovic will receive $1,019,335 for winning the ATP1000 event in Cincinnati
Coco Gauff will receive $454,500 for winning the WTA1000 event in Cincinnati
They played at the same venue all week
They played best of 3 sets all week
They will not get paid the same— Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) August 21, 2023
For the tennis world, this is a matter of concern, as many tournaments have equal prize money. Gauff had to, unfortunately, face this situation for the second time as the first time it took place in the Citi Open.
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Gauff’s excitement snubbed by prize money reality
Coco Gauff won her fourth title and her first title in the Washington Open. She was joined by the Briton, Dan Evans. While both players had a fantastic stint, they were paid much differently. The difference between the prize pool for men’s and women’s singles was staggering. Evans received $353,455, while Gauff only won $120,150. Andy Murray was the only player who initially spoke out about the immense difference in prize money.
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The immense gap in the prize for the winner and the overall pay shows a harrowing practice still active in the sport. While the two organizations have worked on resolving it, there is still much work to be done.
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