The 2023 Citi Open in Washington is the only combined ATP & WTA 500 tournament, and therefore, it's also a perfect event to show the massive prize money difference.
The difference between what men on the ATP Tour earn compared to what their female counterparts make on the WTA Tour has always been debated. However, in 2023, the voices seem to be louder than ever, and there are many opportunities for that.
While the Grand Slam tournaments and certain ATP & WTA 1000 tournaments offer equal prize money already now, other combined ATP & WTA 1000 and 500 tournaments will do that only in 2027, with the rest of the WTA 1000 and WTA 500 tournaments joining only by 2033.
According to renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou, the WTA can't afford to pay their athletes the same as their male counterparts, and that may be confirmed by the fact that the association reportedly uses a secret $32 million subsidy to make the prize money equal at certain events.
During the recent Hamburg Open, the prize money difference was shown, as the men's champion earned 150% of what all women competing earned combined. However, the problem was that while the men's competition was the ATP 500 tournament, women competed in a WTA 250 event, so a level lower.
Now, at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington, the players meet at the only combined ATP & WTA 500 tournament, and the prize money difference is still quite big. The total prize fund for the men's competition is $2,013,940, while women will compete for $780,637, almost three times less.
The prize money distribution for the 2023 Citi Open also shows that the men's champion will earn $353,445, while the women's winner will get $120,150, once again, a massive difference where the ATP winner gets nearly three times more.
The combined ATP & WTA 500 tournament in Washington should be one of those that the WTA promised to have equal prize money at by 2033, so while there are efforts already now, the majority of the players competing on the WTA Tour may be retired by the time the equality is reached.
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