Huge problems in women’s tennis

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Frustration, anger, misunderstanding: women’s tennis is in turmoil after a series of events in Madrid and the renewed debate over prize money. At the Masters tournament in Rome, women receive less than half of the prize money compared to men playing at the same venue.

For the first round, Iga Swiatek and Co. the equivalent of 7,616 francs, while the male colleagues are already pocketing 15,897 francs. The Rom title? Is worth 507,635 francs to women. If Carlos Alcaraz wins the third tournament in a row, CHF 1,075,356 will go into his account.

The discussion about the imbalance in prize money is not new in tennis. Nevertheless, it is repeated at every tournament that is not already based on equality. The pressure on the organizers and the umbrella organization WTA increases with every clear statement. “It’s frustrating. It’s time for a change,” said Tunisian top player Ons Jabeur (28) recently. Her Spanish colleague Paula Badosa (25), who is part of the players’ association PTPA, said: “We are not informed. They just say: this is what you get, play now.”

And world number 1 Iga Swiatek (21) declared after her tournament victory in Stuttgart, where she won less than a quarter of the premium over the men’s competition in Barcelona: “We have all heard the arguments that are often used: women’s tennis is less constant, less lucrative. But we do the same work. It would be nice if we were treated the same as the men.”

The Masters in Rome has announced that it will distribute the prize money evenly from 2025. However, this can hardly remove the current frustration. Nor the perseverance slogans of the WTA. Boss Steve Simon recently said: “There’s still a long way to go, but we’re seeing progress.”

Swirl in Madrid: from ball girls to a giant cake

Some tournaments, such as Indian Wells or Madrid, already offer fair, identical prize terms on the part of the organizers. However, the tournament in Madrid made a negative impression in recent days with other problems. The current prize money debate follows loud accusations of sexism against the organizers of the 1000 event in the Spanish capital. On the other hand, there was harsh criticism because after the women’s doubles final, neither the winners nor the losers were allowed to make the usual speech – unlike the men, who were allowed to do so.

“What century do they live in?” asked the American Jessica Pegula (29), who had lost alongside her compatriot Coco Gauff (19) to Victoria Azarenka (33) and Beatriz Haddad Maia (26): “What happened in Madrid was really disappointing.” The tournament then apologized after much public pressure, long after weathering a massive shitstorm.

It was also two-time winner Azarenka who underlined the subject of unequal treatment in Madrid with a critical tweet: When shooting star Carlos Alcaraz (20) and Aryna Sabalenka (25) both had their birthdays on May 5, both received a cake. The local hero got a huge cake, while Sabalenka’s was significantly smaller. Azarenka was probably less about the enthusiasm for Alcaraz in his home country and more about a symbolic illustration of what is currently going wrong (including in terms of prize money distribution). She wrote, “Nothing better describes the difference in treatment.”

Source : Blick