The world of women’s tennis has come a long way since the formation of the WTA Tour but there is still work to be done to address sexism in the sport, according to one of Germany’s top players.
Andrea Petkovic says female players continue to face issues which their male counterparts don’t in the sport. Making a direct reference to the type of social media abuse they receive, as well as the scheduling of matches at mixed-gender events. Tennis is considered as one of the most balanced professional sports in the world with equal prize money being implemented at every Grand Slam tournament since Wimbledon 2007.
“After games, women always get irritating messages and comments on social media. I doubt it is the same on the men’s tour. Our outfits are always discussed there, how we wear our hair,” Petkovic said during an interview with sports publication Sportschau.
“In the past, women mostly had to play on the smaller courts. That still happens today. When it rained for two days at the French Open two years ago, the women’s semifinals were played on the smaller courts, while the men played on the larger courts. That latent sexism still comes out of that. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.” She added.
According to research conducted by Forbes Magazine, nine out of the ten highest-paid female athletes of 2020 were female tennis players. Furthermore, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are the only female athletes to make the top 50 highest-paid athletes of 2021.
Petkovic says the rise of the women’s game wouldn’t have been achieved if it wasn’t for the relentless campaigning of Billie Jean King and the original nine. Throughout her career, King fought for equal pay from the 1960s onwards and participated in the infamous Battle of the Sexes match with the objective to prove that women’s tennis was just as appealing as men’s. King founded the WTA Tour in 1973 on the principle of ‘equal opportunity.’
“For me she is an ancestor. I play because of (her). When things don’t go that way and I’m doing several things at the same time, I often think about her and all the things she had to shoulder. She is someone I owe everything to. Without them (the Original Nine) there would be no professional women’s sport as it exists today. And all because of their assertiveness and the willingness to take risks.” The 34-year-old said of King.
As of November 1st 451 players have earned at least $1M in prize money since the creation of the WTA Tour almost 50 years ago. In comparison, 703 players have reached the milestone on the men’s Tour.
“It is incredibly important to inform the young players about our sporting ancestors and how we got into the position of earning such good prize money in the first place,” Petkovic concluded.
This week Petkovic is playing in the Billie Jean King Cup. Previously known as the Fed Cup, the team event was renamed in honour of the former world No.1. Germany is one of 12 teams participating in the finals.
