“I don’t deserve to be paid less because of my sex”: Serena Williams reignites tennis equal pay debate

Serena Williams, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, has once again made headlines for demanding equal pay throughout tennis.

“I don’t deserve to be paid less because of my sex”- Serena Williams reignites tennis equal pay debate (F)
Serena Williams – Via Shutterstock

Speaking after her semi-final victory against Elena Vesnina, Williams was asked about the issue of equal pay. She said, ““I don’t deserve to be paid less because of my sex. Yeah, I think we deserve equal prize money. Yeah, absolutely.”

“I mean, if you happen to write a short article, you think you don’t deserve equal pay as your beautiful colleague behind you?”

She continued saying, “Basically my whole life I’ve been doing this. I haven’t had a life.”

“I would like to see people – the public, the press, other athletes in general – just realise and respect women for who they are and what we are and what we do.”

This is not the first time that equal pay in tennis has been in the news. In March this year, Novak Djokovic, the male world No. 1 and 11-time Grand Slam winner said, “Stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men’s tennis matches.”

“I think that is one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more.”

“As long as it is like that and there is data and stats available and information upon who attracts more attention, spectators, who sells more tickets and stuff like that, in relation to that is has to be fairly distributed.”

However, Djokovic later apologised for the comments saying, “I don’t make any differences between the genders. I am for equality in the sport.”

In 2015, Nvoak Djokovic received $21.65 million in prize money, compared to $10.58 million received by Serena Williams.

Williams raced through to her ninth Wimbledon final, beating opponent Vesnina in just 48 minutes; the quickest women’s semi-final this century. Earlier this week, her sister, Venus Williams called for equal time and coverage for women on the top courts at Wimbledon.

About the author

Alison is the Digital Content Editor for WeAreTheCity. She has a BA Honours degree in Journalism and History from the University of Portsmouth. She has previously worked in the marketing sector and in a copywriting role. Alison’s other passions and hobbies include writing, blogging and travelling.
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1 Response
  1. Paula F

    Yes women should get equal pay if they a doing the same job as a man, that is not the case is tennis, men play upto 5 sets, women only 3, 60% would seem right to me