Maria Sharapova Calls for Visibility and Equality in Women’s Tennis

It has now been more than three and a half years since Maria Sharapova hung up her racket. From now on, the player with five Grand Slam titles, mother of little Théodore since July 2022, is focusing on her career as a businesswoman. But she continues to follow the bounces of the little yellow ball with interest. In any case, this is what we can deduce from his speech at Bloomberg Screentime, at the end of the week in Los Angeles.

The Russian took advantage of an interview to point out the lack of visibility of women’s tennis, based on recent news. “You have Coco Gauff who won her first Major at the US Open in New York. There was a huge crowd, a mix of cultures, sport, fashion, all together at the same time. And three weeks later, who knew she was playing a tournament in Beijing? She made it to the semi-finals and lost, but I’m sure 99% of those who followed her in the US didn’t know where she was playing next. From the outset, it’s a problem,” she denounced.

“Indecent disparities” between players

The Tsarina also highlighted the pay gap between female players and their male counterparts. “This week, there was a men’s tournament in Shanghai, with a prize money of $1.2 million. At the same time, we had another women’s tournament in China, whose prize money was $120,000.” , illustrated Sharapova, before continuing: “In the Grand Slams, we celebrate equality in terms of prize money. It’s great, these are the biggest events, which attract the most attention and the media. But the rest of the time, for 8-9 months, the disparities are indecent. And that must be questioned.”

To remedy this, the ex-player from Siberia has no miracle solution to offer. She nevertheless believes that the different authorities could coordinate more. “There are many entities: the ATP, the WTA, the ITF…, listed the former world number 1. The circuits must be on the same wavelength, follow the same agenda. How to align the calendars when you have so many tournaments during the year, how do you make it accessible, interesting, engaging? It will take time, it’s not for tomorrow. But I hope it will be one day.”

2023-10-15 17:24:00
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