Monetary inequality has been an issue between the ATP and WTA players for decades. The recent statistics that Forbes disclosed only added fuel to the fire. America’s Coco Gauff stood 7th among the Top 10, with earnings close to $15.2 million. Her on-court earnings are less than 22%, as a significant sum came from endorsements. So, America’s top seed agreed that pay inequality is real and needs attention.

The 19-year-old let her thoughts roll out ahead of the US Open as various factors surfaced regarding the reasons for dissimilar on-court earnings. Gauff also shed light on how the authorities will tackle the difference.

Coco Gauff dishes out honest notion on pay disparity

The last Slam of the year rewards the highest prize money to the winner compared to the others. The US Open commemorated its 50th anniversary of equal pay this year, and it calls for a gala! What started on a lighter note proceeded to the issue plaguing WTA for decades – monetary inequality.

In the pre-tournament press conference, Gauff was asked about the changes she would like to observe regarding pay. She replied, “Yeah, there’s obviously a lot of inequities on prize money, more on the 1000, 500, and 250 level. They have a plan in place, from what I’m told, like a 10-year plan, to kind of improve that situation. I definitely think a lot of it needs to be improved, especially in these events.”

The Citi Open champion talked about the crowd in men’s and women’s matches, saying, “I mean, at least when I really paid attention this summer, just the crowd at the 500 and 1000 events that I’ve played, where it was combined.” Gauff revealed that she had always observed a larger crowd at her matches, like the top ATP seeds, and sometimes even more, but never less. The teen dismissed one attribute commonly assumed as the reason for pay disparity.

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The hope of America in the US Open condemns ‘attraction’

The WTA’s 6th seed disagreed that ATP attracts more audience than WTA. She stated that attraction might exist in some tournaments, but it does not account for the pay disparity. The 19-year-old opined that, especially in the 1000 events, crowd-pulling is not necessarily an issue. Though WTA has a long way to go, Gauff says she takes pride in how things changed over time, especially in the Grand Slams.

The major tennis tournaments are the only ones that display less monetary discrimination. Slams have always maintained standards, especially the US Open, the most popular and lucrative major. But as Gauff pointed out, tour-level events need to diminish financial inequity.

The recently unveiled Forbes data is proof of inequalities in earnings between ATP and WTA players. There is a whopping $9 million difference in the salaries of Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, despite both being the world’s number one players. There is hope that the WTA will achieve equality eventually, as it is a gradual process that takes considerable time.

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