“If Slams Can Pay the Same…”: Fans React to Difference in Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff’s Prize Money at Cincinnati Open

Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic both won the Cincinnati Masters in women’s and men’s division respectively. Shortly after Djokovic’s win to conclude the tournament, the difference between the prize money between men’s winner and women’s winner went viral on the internet. The tennis fans’ across the globe had their opinion on the pay-gap between both winners and took to social media to voice their opinion.

While most of the fans’, could understand the pay-gap, others were more disappointed by the massive difference in prize money given to the women champion compared to the men’s champion. Both the players played on the same venue and both played best of three set matches, but both were paid differently.

Fans’ give their opinion about pay-gap on social media

After the men’s final, a tweet circulated on internet with details about the prize money given to both Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff. Djokovic was paid $1,019,335 for winning the ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati while Gauff was paid $454,500 for winning the same event. Both the players played 3 set match at the same venue and the same tournament.

The pay-gap debate has been raging for quite a while in the tennis community. Various players from both, ATP and WTA were asked their opinion about this pay difference but there has been no conclusive decision made yet. The massive pay gap at Cincinnati Open has raged this debate again, as Djokovic earned more than twice of what Gauff won, for winning the same tournament.

Few tennis fans voiced their displeasure about the pay-gap and took to Twitter to share their opinion about the same. Some people called the pay-gap ’embarrassing’ while others called for it to be changed and made equal for both men and women.

Other half of the tennis fans’ agree with the pay-gap and acknowledge that is should depend on the number of tickets that the player can sell. In this case, Djokovic is obviously the more famous out of the two and deserves more prize money.

This debate regarding the pay-gap is gonna go on for a while, but with the US Open coming up, it will give fans a chance to forget about the pay-gap and enjoy the tennis.

What about the prize money at US Open?

2023 will be the 50th year in which the men’s and women’s winner will be given equal pay at the US Open. When Billie Jean King won the women’s singles title at the 1972 US Open, she became an example for equal prize money, demanding categorically that the next year’s US Open pay men’s and women’s players equally, which led to the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association for the first time. In 1973, men and women competed for $100,000 in total purses, including a $25,000 payout to both the men’s and women’s singles champions.

Now this year in 2023, the men’s and women’s winner will be awarded $3,000,000 each while the runner ups will get $1,500,000 each.