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The ATP Tour pays considerably more than their WTA counterparts – the gap just keeps on increasing
Equal pay for men and women is a burning topic that has been up for discussion for a long time now and the disparity in pay on the ATP (men) and WTA (women) tours in Tennis has sparked a fresh debate once again. While Tennis does provide equal pay to the male and female players in Grand Slams, the picture is quite different in the ATP and WTA events. The ATP tour, which is exclusively concerned with organising men’s tournaments, offers a lot more prize money than the WTA.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg has pointed out on Twitter that while most sports are focusing on reducing the pay gap between male and female players, it has just been the opposite in the case of the ATP and WTA tours. The disparity in pay is quite alarming and is definitely not a positive sign for women’s tennis. However, there has been a usual silence in the Tennis fraternity regarding the widening gap.
The ATP is planning to introduce the process of providing fixed salaries to the top players on the tour. While it’s great news for the male stars, WTA doesn’t have any such plan as of now and it remains to be seen if they follow the ATP’s footsteps in the near future.
Tennis is one of the most followed sports across the globe and it is no surprise that Tennis players are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Top tennis stars have several lucrative endorsement deals and sponsorships in their pocket and earn a lot by participating in various professional tournaments across the globe. However, they do not have a ‘fixed income’ and it could change very soon.
The apex governing body of men’s professional tennis – the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) are in advanced stages of discussion regarding the possibility of introducing fixed income for the top players on the ATP tour. They are likely to adopt the model of the PGA Tour (Golf) and provide guaranteed annual income to the top 250-300 ranked players. However, the ATP earns only about US$ 200 million a year, which is much less compared to the PGA Tour. Hence, if they have to pay the top 300 players, they won’t be able to do so without incurring initial losses. It remains to be seen how soon or if eventually the ATP manages to implement this system.
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