Madison Keys considers herself a very positive person, and that's why she believes that equal prize money in tennis will be a thing within the next decade.
This past edition of the US Open was significant as the sport celebrated 50 years of equal prize money at the event. Billie Jean King fought for it half a century ago and won; however, the ultimate victory is yet to come. We don't have equal prize money Tour-wide, and we should.
Only a handful of WTA events offer equal prize money now, and many players have been quite vocal about the need for it. It will not come overnight, but Keys is generally quite positive in her outlook. She believes that equal prize money will happen within the next ten years as she said during her press conference at the 2023 Guadalajara Open.
I think that there's obviously going to be even more tournaments with equal prize money and things like that. I know with the investment that the WTA is going through and all of that, we're already getting closer to that number and working towards equal prize money. So I think in the next 10 years we'll be as equal as the men.
Some trends back up her claims, but ten years might be too optimistic. Players are determined to fight for what they believe is necessary. Many are speaking up about the issue as it's become one of the most talked about topics this year.
The work this generation of players does will significantly benefit those in the future, but that's how it is in human history. Those that reap the most benefits are not the ones who fought for it. Even so, progress is needed in everything, so it's necessary to ensure that men and women are paid the same.