Female tennis player deserve the same pay as male tennis player

Some of you are like me, still vividly remember the five hours and 53 minutes Australian Open final
in 2012, the longest Grand Slam final of all time; while for those who are not a fan of tennis, you
have probably heard your friends and families talking about the epic match played by Novak
Djokovic and Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final in 2018, or how Naomi Osaka defeated Serena
Williams in controversial US Open final in the same year.

Although men and women tennis players are awarded equal prize money in all four majors Grand
Slam tournaments and the Masters Events, outside of these events the pay gap between men and
women is massive. In 2018, 71 percent of the world’s top 100 men have earned more than women
of the same ranking, based on prize money per tournament played. The arguments for a gender pay
gap in tennis usually boil down to two key themes.

First, opponents to equal pay argue that men put in more labour than women, and therefore should
be paid more. This only holds true in the four majors where men play best of five sets in
comparison to women’s best of three. These ‘labor’ rules themselves stem from a time when
inequality between men and women was much more pronounced. In other tournaments on the tour,
the disparity between men and women is massive despite both genders playing best of three rather
than best of five. The argument that men do more work than women only holds true at 4
tournaments.

Second, opponents argue that male tennis players attract larger crowds and therefore bring in more
money to the sport. In the past, some top male players including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
have claimed men should earn more as they attract more people. The data, though, suggests viewing
figures are not gender based but determined by individual performance and personality. From 2010
to 2014, the women’s US Open final drew a larger audience in America than the men’s final. Part of
that was due to Serena Williams appearing in four of those finals. But more people tuned in to
watch Kim Clijsters’s win in 2010 than they did for Nadal’s victory the same year, and more than
1.5m more people watched Samantha Stosur win than Djokovic in 2011.

The claim that “male tennis players attract larger crowds” would hold true in a free-market sporting
economy such as football; however, in tennis, earnings are distributed via prize money, making it
impossible to mirror the free-market economy like football does. A complete unknown might win
Wimbledon and net £2.25 million in prize money whilst only bringing in £150 in ticket sales.
Furthermore if money was to be distributed based on viewing figures and ticket sales alone, Serena
Williams and Kim Clijsters would have earned more than Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the
U.S. Opens.

There is no reason to believe that men work harder than women in sports, and there is no reason to
believe that women do not play as well, either. The same goals hang in the balance for both
genders- to be the best you can possibly be. Despite the equal prize money in the Grand Slams,
tennis still has a long, long way to go in it’s strive for equality.