"Insane": Shapovalov calls out gender pay gap in tennis

Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov is taking a stand against gender inequality within his sport.

Shapovalov wrote in an article for The Players’ Tribune today titled “The Gender Gap Should Not Exist” about his concerns with the prize money differences between the ATP (men’s) and the WTA (women’s) pro tours.

“Things are definitely going in the right direction,” Shapovalov wrote. “But overall the gap is still huge.”

Shapovalov is currently ranked No. 30 in the world, having made $10.4 million over the course of his career, as per the ATP. For comparison, the 30th-ranked woman, Petra Martic, has career earnings of $7.4 million, despite 407 career singles victories to Shapovalov’s 173 career singles wins.

Shapovalov credited his mother, Tessa, a former Soviet national-level tennis player, and his girlfriend, fellow tennis pro Mirjam Björklund, for opening his eyes to the differences in treatment.

“It’s so unfair. It doesn’t make sense at all,” Shapovalov added. “It matters, because the expenses are crazy in tennis: You travel all year, you stay in hotels, you pay your coaching staff. The big stars don’t have to worry about it, but many on the tour are struggling just to break even. For these players, prize money is not about getting a nice lump of extra cash. It’s about survival. “

Shapovalov referenced his own sum of $100,000 received as a runner-up at an ATP 250 tournament, whereas a WTA 250 tournament in Washington, DC, offered the champion $33,200.

“I mean, it’s not even close!” Shapovalov wrote. “Unfortunately, it seems that if you are a female player, your chances of surviving as a pro are a lot lower… because you are a woman.”

Shapovalov likened the pay disputes in tennis to another ongoing discussion around Canada’s national women’s soccer team.

“They won a gold medal at the last Olympics and got their funding cut months before the World Cup. They’re one of the best soccer teams in the world and yet they’ve had to fight for equal support? It’s insane,” Shapovalov wrote. “Maybe I’m being cynical, but I think some people might think of gender equality as mere political correctness. Deep down they don’t feel that women deserve as much, you know? And that’s terrible.”

The full article by Shapovalov is available here.

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