Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek, the number 1 in the world, advocates equal pay for men and women in tournaments. She now thinks the difference in prize money is too big.
She found evidence for her claim in the Financial Times. He recently calculated that halfway through last year the ATP, the association for men’s tennis, paid out 75 percent more prize money in tournaments than the WTA, the association for women’s tennis.
Only in the four Grand Slam tournaments is the prize money for men and women equal. Those tournaments are organized by the umbrella tennis association, the ITF.
“As far as I’m concerned, the top priority for the WTA is to expand business, increase popularity, and narrow the prize pool gap with the ATP,” Swiatek said at the tournament in Dubai, which takes place this week.
“Women’s tennis brings the same emotions as men’s tennis,” said the Polish. “At the moment I don’t hear anyone complaining about the inconsistent level. There are top tennis players who play great in most tournaments.” Swiatek has also been playing great again since her surprise defeat in the fourth round at the Australian Open and now wins with big results.
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