Daria Kasatkina publicly pointed out the difference in prize money at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The difference in prize money of ATP and WTA events has been a well-known fact that is not often talked about. Everybody in the tennis world is actively avoiding the topic because it's a hard topic to talk about and most of the time you are going to be wrong.
WTA players have publicly pointed out the difference numerous times and the latest one is Daria Kasatkina. The development came after the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati announced that the prize money would be increased from 50 % to 80 % of the previous level resulting in a bump of over 1 million dollars.
The announcement was shared on Twitter with the caption that it was good news to which Kasatkina added the appendix of 'For ATP Players' prompting numerous reactions to her comments. One fan was confused to her comment asking whether they were increasing WTA prize money for the event to which Kasatkina responded:
"Nope. Even with the crowd on some tournaments." The fan responded with 'that's unacceptable' to which Kasatkina responded:
"On WTA 250 if you are not in the semis, after all, taxes and expenses u are actually in minus. In doubles, u need to win a tournament."
The issue is systemic and very controversial. The difference in prize money or 'pay' in other sports has been widely reported and it's not looking like it will change in the near future. Check out the exchange below.