A former tennis player has claimed Serena Williams can be used to highlight the apparent discrepancies of implementing equal prize money for both genders in tennis.
Nikolay Davydenko, a former world No 3, believes that equal prize money makes sense at Tour events because men and women play the same number of sets.
However, the Russian has questioned why men get paid the same when singles fixtures become best-of-five matches at Grand Slam events, while women’s singles remain at being best of three.
Female players receive the same amount as men for playing less time on the court, although it is possible for a female participant to play all three-set matches on their way to a final and for a male player to win in straight sets – thus making it three apiece.
But Davydenko has suggested there is an imbalance in the way male players are forced to work harder for the same amount of money, pointing to how Williams used to dominate matches and therefore spent a lot less time on the court than her male counterparts.
“In the [ATP and WTA] 250, 500, 1000 category tournaments, it’s possible. But when you talk about Grand Slam tournaments… you [women] don’t play five-set matches,” Davydenko said to matctv.ru.
“Serena Williams won the Grand Slams, losing only 10 games in the tournament. She won 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 without even breaking a sweat or feeling stressed. And men lose 10 games in the first match alone, you have to fight.”
He added: “Sometimes you play a five-setter in the first round and then you lose. Male tennis players work three times harder than female tennis players, especially in Grand Slam tournaments. So it’s unfair to pay them equally.”
Davydenko’s comments are likely to reignite the debate, although not all male players would agree with him.
Andy Murray has been a vocal advocate for advancing gender equality and often corrected reporters if and when they overlooked the achievements of players such as Williams and Billie Jean King.
As for Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam winner is satisfied that attitudes are changing for the most part and holds the opinion that women deserve their equal share.
“You just can’t expect things to change overnight,” she previously said. “I like that people are starting to recognise that women do deserve equal pay and they deserve the same that a male gets.”
Some brands have decided to include an equal number of male and female athletes in their ads, a move that has won Williams’ backing.
“I applaud them for elevating female athletes and amplifying inclusivity to the world’s biggest stage… the Super Bowl. It doesn’t really get any bigger than that,” she added.
