Coco Gauff made an interesting observation when asked about the sponsorships she's gotten over the past year.
As one of the biggest stars in tennis and on the WTA Tour, the 19-year-old American obviously has some sponsorship deals. As a player with quite a few of them, she's in a good position to talk about it, as she certainly has more than the average player.
Being from the United States certainly adds to her attractiveness for the sponsors, as it's arguably one of the largest markets in the world. She was asked about it at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, where she lost to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals, and admitted that she doesn't think the gap in women's and men's tennis is that huge anymore, although it exists.
Brands are diversifying more, which allows more women to get opportunities they historically haven't had.
From a sponsorship standpoint, we’re getting some good money compared to the men. At least in my position. I wouldn’t say it’s more so like a contract thing. Yes, there’s still a gender gap, but I feel like now a lot of the brands want to get more women & want to be more diverse. Especially with me being a black woman.
The pay gap is often dismissed as fiction, but repeated studies have shown it to be a very real thing. Sports is no different, and plenty of players have spoken about it in the past year.
It's something that needs to be addressed and slowly is being addressed, but Gauff doesn't think the gap is that huge, at least when it comes to sponsorships.
She did qualify it by admitting that her opportunities are greater then for the average player which is true.
People think it’s a big gap, but I don’t think so. At least in tennis when it comes to sponsorships & contracts & all of that. Obviously the prize money is something we can work on. Winning US Open, obviously if you win a Grand Slam you get more brands reaching out to you.
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