2009 ATP Finals champion Nikolay Davydenko has caused a stir by voicing his opposition to equal prize money at the Grand Slams.
Tennis is the most financially equal major sport in the world because the four Grand Slams, the most significant tournaments on the calendar, pay men and women the same prize money.
Some of the combined tournaments of the 1000 category also award the same prize money to ATP and WTA players. The Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, and Madrid Open are examples, and the Italian Open has pledged to do the same from next year.
That equality is why tennis players dominated this year's list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. Coco Gauff finished at No. 1 and is estimated to have earned more than $30 million in prize money and endorsements.
Nine of the Top 15 athletes on the list were tennis players, including Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka. Many in the tennis world are proud of this and think other sports should take inspiration from it.
However, not everyone agrees with equal prize money. Some of the most significant figures in tennis history have voiced skepticism about whether it is fair to pay ATP and WTA players the same amount.
Novak Djokovic once caused a stir by arguing that male players should fight for more because ATP matches usually generate more spectators, leading to a backlash from some WTA stars and fans.
Rafael Nadal has also said equal prize money should not even be discussed and used the example of female models being paid more than male ones to illustrate his argument.
Former world No. 3 Davydenko is also skeptical of equal prize money in all cases. In an interview with Match TV, the Russian said he was open to it in 250, 500, and Masters 1000-level tournaments but thinks it is unfair at Grand Slams because men play longer matches.
“In the 250, 500, 1000 category tournaments, it’s possible. But when you talk about Grand Slam tournaments… You don’t play five-set matches. Serena Williams won the Grand Slams, losing only 10 games in the tournament. She won 6–0, 6–1, 6–2 without even breaking a sweat or feeling stressed."
“And men lose 10 games in the first match alone, you have to fight. Sometimes you play a five-setter in the first round and then you lose. Male tennis players work three times harder than female tennis players, especially in Grand Slam tournaments. So it’s unfair to pay them equally."
Interestingly, Davydenko would like to reverse the current situation. The prize money in ATP 500 and 250 tournaments is higher than the same-level events on the WTA Tour, but the Grand Slams are entirely equal.
Debates about whether women should play best-of-5 set matches have existed for many years. Some propose that women's singles matches be best-of-5 from the quarterfinals or semifinals onwards.
That might be a sensible alternative. It would prevent scheduling issues caused by having too many best-of-5 matches in the opening week of Grand Slams but also elevate women's matches by having the final few rounds be the same length as the men's singles.