Elina Svitolina believes there is still work to be done to address a gap in prize money between male and female players at certain events.
After moving into the quarter-finals at Indian Wells on Wednesday, the world No.9 told reporters that there needs to be more equality in compensation given to players on the WTA Tour. Svitolina says there is a disparity in compensation given to female players taking part in some events compared to the men’s equivalent. The WTA and ATP are governed by separate bodies with their own financial structure.
“I definitely want to see more equal prize money on the WTA tournaments, because of course in Grand Slams we are equal, but I think there is still a big gap between like 250s, 500s, and 1000s,” Svitolina said after beating Katerina Siniakova, who retired early in the second set with an injury.
“I think some tournaments, of course, made it (equal prize money), so I think want to see more of that.”
Equal prize money has been issued at all Grand Slam events since the 2007 Wimbledon Championships and many combined events have since followed suit. This includes Indian Wells, which will award the men’s and women’s singles champions $1,151,380 this year.
The WTA already has a plan to close the gap in prize money differences between genders. They aim to reach equal prize money at all WTA 1000 and 500 combined events by 2027 and single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events by 2033.
“We are continuing to drive forward an agenda that empowers women – and ensures that these athletes have equitable opportunity, compensation and exposure,” WTA CEO Portia Archer stated in a recent interview with the Credit One Charleston Open.
Svitolina, who has earned more than $27.9M in prize money during her career, also notes there has been improvements in the sport since she made her debut in 2012.
“Scheduling, I think it’s improved. It’s improved a lot, and I think now it’s always women’s match and men’s match night sessions. I think it’s improved massively,” she said.
In Indian Wells, Svitolina is through to the last year for a second year in a row. She will next play Iga Swiatek.
