Iga Swiatek Gives Honest Opinion On Earnings Difference Between ATP & WTA Players
NewsTuesday, 26 August 2025 at 14:49
Iga Swiatek provided a thoughtful response when asked about the earnings gap between the top ATP and WTA players.
A few days ago, Forbes released its list of the highest-paid tennis players. The iconic global media company also does an annual list of the highest-paid athletes across all sports, which attracts much attention each year.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were ranked as the highest-paid tennis players. They have dominated men's tennis since the start of 2024, evidenced by one of them winning the last seven Grand Slams.
Novak Djokovic was also among the best compensated despite his results declining since dominating in 2023. The Serbian's status among many as the greatest of all time, something his sponsor tapped into in their latest initiative, means he remains popular with sponsors despite worsening results.
Coco Gauff was by far the highest-paid woman on the list. She was third, ahead of Djokovic, with an estimated $37.4 million, $25 million of which came from her various off-court activities in the last 12 months.
The 2025 French Open winner's charisma, humor, and breakthrough as a 15-year-old make her one of the most marketable athletes worldwide. She was also the highest-paid female athlete in 2024.
Aryna Sabalenka was fifth with $27.4 million, while Qinwen Zheng ranked sixth with $26.1 million. Zheng's status as China's biggest tennis star gives her the ideal opportunity to work with sponsors.
Swiatek ranked seventh with $24 million. Although four women were featured on the list, some noted that the Top 2 were both men, and Alcaraz and Sinner received more money for being at the top compared to their WTA counterparts.
In a press conference at the 2025 US Open, Swiatek acknowledged that female players are in a better position than in other sports because of historical efforts, but would like to see the disparity that remains close.
"Obviously, there's a big difference between men's and women's. I know that female tennis players are usually at the top of the rankings, because of the people that did the hardest part of the job, like Billie Jean King and Venus (Williams)."
"I think we're in a pretty good position, but the difference is one you can clearly see. It's not something that one person can change, it's something that probably requires a lot of commitment from a lot of people. It's something that all the players are thinking about while trying to compete and focus on other things. It's a tricky topic, and hopefully it's something that is going to change moving on."
Although Swiatek was happy to discuss the financial disparities in the Forbes list, she was skeptical about whether the numbers provided were entirely accurate, since many of the contracts negotiated are confidential.
"I have no idea if they're accurate, because, I have to be honest, I haven't even checked how much I earn. I do not know what they base this on, since most of the contracts are confidential anyway, you know? It's probably a better question for an agent."
Tennis should be proud of the equality it has achieved, but conversations about how to close any further gaps are useful and productive.
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