The war over having equal prize money on the men’s side is never-ending! While over time things have evolved and a lot of tournaments have started paying equal money to both sides of the event, somewhere down the line unequal pay still persists as one of the biggest problems in tennis. Recently, a profound reality came to light, sharing the scary face of what women’s tennis actually lags.
As the Dubai Tennis Championships came to an end, Jasmine Paolini won the second WTA 1000 tournament. But after her victory, saddening tennis reality came to light regarding how the ATP side of the game got a bigger bag than the winner of the WTA side.
Jasmine Paolini’s victory, while triumphant, raises questions of equal pay
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Women tennis players are trying their best to fight for equal prize money rights, but there is a lot more to the story. Recently, after defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final of the second WTA 1000 event, Jasmine Paolini received $308,320 after becoming the winner of the tournament.
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But the main point here is not the Italian tennis player’s victory but the money that she received for similar efforts as ATP players she put into reaching the finals of the tournament. Just like the event in Dubai is a WTA 1000 event, the men’s side of the tournament was the ATP 500 event.
Subsequently, both tournaments stood at a different level; their prize money also had an unimaginably vast difference. While the WTA champion of the tournament received $308,320, on the other hand, the prize pool for the ATP side was an astounding $2,941,785.
READ MORE – WTA Dubai 2024 Finals: Anna Kalinskaya vs Jasmine Paolini; Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction
Moreover, after Saudi Arabia showed interest in tennis, the huge difference between both events in terms of their ranking order or their price is something that might add fire to what Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova feared would happen after Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the sport. Let’s see whether Evert and Navratilova’s stand on why WTA should not go to Saudi Arabia is the same as what is happening or not.
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WTA legendary duo stands against Saudi Arabia
There has been a lot of debate and discussion going on regarding whether the 2024 WTA Finals should take place in Saudi or not. Both of them cited that with the growing involvement of Saudi, there might be a lot of women’s inequality coming into the picture. During one of those conversations, the 18-time Grand Slam champion clearly stated that the WTA stands for equality and has been a role model for other sports.
But at the same time, the organization should make a decision with integrity and dignity and not be taking funds from Saudi Arabia, highlighting her stand on what WTA brings to the table. Not only that but while the equal pay struggle was bearing fruit, the difference between the WTA 1000 event and the ATP 500 event, might go with yesterday’s legends’ clear choice of going against Saudi inclusion.
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Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on the vast difference between the WTA 1000 and ATP 500 events? Do let us know in the comment section below.
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