The 4 Grand Slam tournaments have long set the benchmark for equality, awarding identical prize money to WTA and ATP players, with SW19 joining that movement in 2007 as the final major to embrace equal pay. Yet beneath the spotlight of tennis’ biggest stages, lower-tier events continue to reveal a troubling financial divide between the two divisions of players. Now, as the grass-court season gathers momentum, Aussie WTA ace Priscilla Hon has emerged as the latest voice shining a light on the persistent disparity in prize money.

In a recent IG post, the world No. 146 shared a video while captioning, “Before anyone gets mad, I’m just sharing the numbers 🤷🏻‍♀️ This week, a WTA 250 and ATP 250 are running side by side in the same city💰🎾”. She later reinforced her point in the accompanying video. “Same tournament. Same draw. Very different paycheck.”

Hon, highlighted the significant difference in prize money between the two events at the Libéma Open. The men’s champion was set to receive $180,214, while the women’s winner would earn just $53,251. At the same time, Hon made it clear that her criticism was not directed toward the tournament organizers, as she added “Just to be clear this is a system wide issue, not a Libéma Open issue. Just sharing the numbers and starting a conversation,” in the comments of her own post.

The WTA and ATP event in the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch are operated separately by the ATP and WTA. However, both competitions are categorized as 250-level events.

As a result, both the champions receive the same ranking reward. Winners take home 250 ranking points, but an unequal prize money at the same time. Still, the discussion around equal pay in tennis is far from new. WTA tennis players have been raising concerns over prize money disparities for decades.

Although the major tournaments now provide equal prize money to men and women, the same standard has not been adopted across the ATP and WTA Tours. According to a report by The New York Times back in 2023, the top 100 WTA players earned only 80 cents for every dollar made by the top 100 ATP players.

The disparity becomes even more striking at some combined events where spectators purchase the same tickets to watch both tours. Even taking example of the 2015 Western & Southern Open in Ohio, Serena Williams received $495,000 for winning the women’s title, while Roger Federer collected $731,000 for winning the men’s event, approximately 48% more than the American WTA icon.

Now, with Hon once again bringing these numbers into public view, the fight for equal pay in tennis continues. 

How the WTA is trying to deliver equal prize money beyond Grand Slams

The WTA has already taken major steps toward achieving equal prize money across professional tennis. Three years ago, the organization announced a long-term roadmap aimed at reducing the financial gap between men and women’s players on tour.

Under the plan, all combined WTA 1000 and 500 events will offer equal prize money by 2027. Meanwhile, non-combined 1000 and 500 tournaments are expected to reach that same milestone by the end of 2033.

Signs of that progress have already started to emerge at the current tennis dynamics. At Indian Wells 2026, the total prize pool stood at $9.42 million. Both the men’s and women’s singles champions received $1.15 million for lifting their respective trophies.

Moves like this are helping to streamline the concept of equal prize money at elite events across the two divisions. However, equal pay at the top level is only one part of a much broader discussion. Another issue that continues to draw attention is the growing earnings gap between higher-ranked and lower-ranked players.

Now, with the Aussie Hon once again highlighting concerns over prize-money disparities, the conversation has resurfaced in full force. 

What the immediate solution might look like remains uncertain, and for many WTA players, only the governing bodies can truly address the inequalities that continue to exist within the sport.