Belarus' Sabalenka calls for gender equality in tennis earnings

Belarus’ tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has spoken out against the unjust payment system in women’s and men’s tennis. There has been much debate about the payment disparity between men’s and women’s tennis players in the same competitions.

Because of this, the authorities organising mega-events such as the Grand Slams have decided to ensure that both men’s and women’s players earn equal amounts of money. Even that decision received criticism from some quarters of the fraternity, especially from fans on social media, who questioned why women players earn similar amounts of money as their men counterparts despite playing only three-set matches.

Sabalenka, who recently lifted the Cincinnati Open after beating America’s Jessica Pegula in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5, was recently quoted in a report where she questioned why she ended up earning less than half of what the men’s singles title winner at the same open. She was of the opinion that it is not fair to see women earn much less than male players as both players work equally hard.

“From the TV point of view, from the ticket selling, from every point of view, it's unfair," she said. "Of course, guys are always going to be physically stronger than women but it doesn’t mean we’re not working as hard as they do. Women deserve to be paid an equal amount of money that men do.”

It was reported that Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who lifted the men’s title at the Cincinnati Open after beating America’s Frances Tiafoe in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2, earned approximately £800,000. In contrast, Sabalenka ended up earning less than £400,000 for lifting the same title. The reigning world number two will now turn her attention towards the upcoming US Open where she will be hoping to go one step further than she did last year. She finished as the runner-up last year after losing to America’s Coco Gauff.