During the WTA Finals in Cancun, the Women’s Tennis Association received a significant portion of criticism regarding the competitive conditions. But the disagreements between the organization and the tennis players are not limited to complaints about the court.

Girls demand more money, benefits and allowances, pointing out that men earn higher earnings in tennis.

For some reason they don’t want to play five-set matches.

Fair assessment

The issue of a possible merger of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), seriously discussed this fall, did not arise out of nowhere. The conditions under which men cooperate with their organization are more attractive. One can argue for a long time why this happens, but leading tennis players do not need arguments – they want a fairer assessment of their work, in their opinion.

According to The Athletic, on October 5, about two dozen leading tennis players, including Tokyo Olympics vice-champion Marketa Vondrousova, Wimbledon 2022 winner Elena Rybakina and world number one Arina Sabalenka, wrote a letter to the WTA with specific demands. A separate letter of similar content was sent to the organization by the winner of four Grand Slam tournaments, Iga Swiatek. Tennis players want guaranteed wages, compensation for maternity leave, child care benefits and a flexible tournament schedule. Perhaps one of the key requirements is equal prize money to men.

The athletes expected a response by October 13, but never received it. However, it cannot be said that the WTA simply ignored the questions of the strongest tennis players on the planet. The head of the organization, Steve Simon, agreed to meet with the signatories, but there is no talk of productive results. The girls did not hear any clear answers to their demands. And some of them even left the meeting before it ended.

Speed ​​and aesthetics

Are the demands of tennis players towards the governing organization fair? It is worth noting that inequality does exist. According to the Financial Times, tennis players on average earn 75% more than their female counterparts. If at Grand Slam tournaments the prize money is identical, then at other competitions the situation is different. The WTA promises that in 2027, income will be equal at all combined tournaments where both men and women compete. In general, the process of equalizing earnings will last until 2033. It is unclear how many of the indignant leaders today will remain in the fold by this time.

But, perhaps, it would not be out of place to note the fact that in general, interest in men’s tennis on the planet is higher, they are more willing to watch it. You can point to numbers all you want to show that the women’s finals of the US Open have recently attracted a larger audience than the men’s, but the tournaments are not limited to the US Open.

Arina Sabalenka in the final of the US Open 2023 / Photo: © Tim Clayton – Corbis / Contributor / Corbis Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Why this is so is a debatable question. Aesthetically, tennis players are sometimes more pleasant to watch, but for most fans, slender legs and seductive skirts are not the main factor. It is more interesting for them to look at higher speeds and powerful blows, and it is interesting to watch how athletes give their all in five-set confrontations. So there is still no need to talk about any wild injustice – men’s tennis matches bring more income to the organizers, so they earn more.

Objective difficulties

If we talk about income equality, it would be more logical to equalize some conditions for men and women. One of the strongest tennis players on the planet, Stefanos Tsitsipas, expressed a similar idea out loud, suggesting that the ladies could also play five-set matches. But judging by the reaction of some tennis players, it is clear that women do not like such ideas. Former number one Naomi Osaka first threatened Tsitsipas with nine-set matches, then suggested that no one would listen to men on this issue. And when she was asked a direct question about equal conditions for equal pay, she began to prevaricate and hide behind the authorities of past years.

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © REUTERS / Hannah Mckay, Quality Sport Images / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru, Elsa / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The WTA, of course, could well consider benefits, maternity leave and other useful things. It is clear that men do not need to take a break to care for children; they can easily play and earn money as long as their health allows it. On the other hand, the WTA does not seem to be a social organization and may well not accept such obligations.

Guaranteed earnings, which recently appeared for men (the Baseline program guarantees players in the top 250 compensation if athletes do not earn a certain amount during the season) and is absent for women, could really be the subject of discussion. But can the WTA afford something like this, given that the organization doesn’t always get it right with sponsors and television contracts? Judging by the manager’s reaction to the athletes’ demands, objective difficulties may arise in fulfilling both fair and controversial demands.