Denis Shapovalov advocates equal pay for men and women in tennis

Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov is of the opinion that the disparity between men and women in professional tennis should not exist.

Holder of 30^e rank in the world rankings, Shapovalov argued in favor of this notion in his sport, Tuesday, in an article published on the site Players Tribune.

Shapovalov says he was motivated to advocate for equal pay between men and women after comparing his experience on the ATP Tour to that of his girlfriend Mirjam Björklund, a player on the WTA Tour.

“For example, at their Challenger level, there are no tournaments with hospitality. They don’t have free accommodation, whereas with men it’s quite normal,” Shapovalov noted, in a video accompanying the article.

“Why is it different? It does not mean anything. »

The Richmond Hill, Ont., athlete recounted a conversation with Björklund in which he assumed she would earn US$7,000 for a main draw appearance at a WTA 250 tournament, the norm for an event this size on the men’s circuit.

She explained that she would only win a fraction of that amount, closer to $1,000.

“I said, ‘What are you talking about? How is it possible ?” “said Shapovalov.

“She faced [Daria Saville], the stadium was full and they were playing for $1000 or something to reach the second round. It’s such a small amount.

“It was a totally intense match, the quality was incredible.

“I don’t understand how the men win a game, get $25,000 or something and the women win the same game, and they get $1,000, and it’s the same people watching. »

Shapovalov said he wanted to speak about it before International Women’s Day on Wednesday.

The Ontarian will be the 25^e seed of the Indian Wells Masters and is expected to play its first game on Friday.