As tournaments look for equality, aspects of tennis are not equal including prize money and this was highlighted again with the recent Cincinnati Open.
Won by Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, both playing the best of three format it was not an equal playing field. Despite seemingly being so on paper for both as they saw off Frances Tiafoe and Jessica Pegula in their finals.
It is quite easy especially this week to get bogged down in the Sinner doping scandal, but he did win a title as soon as Monday as he saw off the American. He looked in superb form despite this looming over him. As well as recent hip issues and illness.
But he did receive a staggering pay check in comparison to Sabalenka. The Belarusian World No.2 of course doesn't exactly leave Mason, Ohio without any cash and it certainly isn't paltry but in terms of both side by side, it is.
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Sinner claims $1,049,460 for claiming the title, while Sabalenka claims $523,485. For reference, the men's runner-up in Frances Tiafoe received a lot more in $573,090. They competed in the same venue all week and they played best of three sets also all week.
But they will not get paid the same. There have been pledges to make the prize money equal especially given they play the same amount of tennis. But still despite those, it still highlights that disparity is very much still an aspect of tennis prize money.
Toiling for not the same prize despite playing the same tennis begs many questions. Rafael Nadal raised the point earlier on in the year with the 22-time Grand Slam champion firmly behind any move to make it equal.
“I don’t want to be hypocritical and say things that are easy to say and that I don’t feel. What do you want me to say? For me, the investment for women should be the same as for men,” said Nadal.
“The opportunities, the same. The salaries, the same? No, for what? It’s not unfair, what’s unfair is that there isn’t equal opportunity.
“I have a mother and a sister. If you tell me that men and women deserve the same opportunities, I’m a feminist. This term is taken to the extreme. If we’re talking about logical and normal things in this conversation, of course I want equality.
“For me, equality isn’t about giving away gifts, but if Serena Williams earns more than me, I want her to earn more than me. I want equality, I want women to earn more than men if they generate more than men.
“What bothers me is when people tell me that income and earnings should be equal. In tennis, for some reason, the payouts are almost equal in most events because at the time there was an opportunity for women’s tennis to be seen.
“Women’s tennis is very popular around the world. I don’t want to get into a fight about this, the problem for me is the discussion.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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