“Fiasco” before the French Open: debate about equality in tennis

The ongoing debate about equality in tennis is rekindled shortly before the start of the French Open. Several incidents in just over two weeks fuel the question of how much respect the female players receive in comparison to their male colleagues.

And from Sunday onwards at the Stade Roland Garros, it will be closely monitored whether the women are really treated at the same level despite the same prize money. The two high-class tournaments in Madrid and Rome before the classic clay court in Paris “were a fiasco for women’s tennis,” complained the American legend and 21-time Grand Slam doubles tournament winner Pam Shriver on Twitter. “There are no excuses, but many reasons for these fiascos.”

Criticism of prize money

In Rome, the finalists Jelena Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina only had to appear late on Saturday evening. After the two men’s semi-finals and several interruptions in the rain throughout the day, only a few spectators were left in the stands after midnight. The fact that, in contrast to the four Grand Slam tournaments, winners Daniil Medvedev & Co. received more than twice as much prize money, although both tournaments belong to the same category, also caused clear criticism from the players.

“It’s really frustrating,” said Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur from Tunisia to the “New York Times” in Rome. “It’s time for a change.” Last year, the “Financial Times” calculated that, apart from the Grand Slam tournaments, a total of 75 percent more prize money was paid out on the men’s tour.

In Rome, the organizers promised an alignment for 2025. The organizing WTA has formulated this as a long-term goal for the entire women’s tour. WTA boss Steve Simon explains the current differences with the higher rating of men’s tennis on the advertising market and in TV rights. “There’s still a long way to go, but we’re seeing progress.”

But even smaller signs than the big money enrage the players. When the finalists were not allowed to speak to the audience as usual after the doubles final in Madrid, the organizers then admitted a “mistake”.

A photo of local hero Carlos Alcaraz in front of a multi-tier birthday cake next to the picture of Belarusian world number two Aryna Sabalenka with a much smaller copy that she had also received from the organizers, commented her Belarusian colleague Viktoria Asarenka: “The treatment could not be better .”

Tournament Director Feliciano López explained the difference by saying that Alcaraz had won on Center Court in Spain. The Dane Holger Rune was also happy about a smaller cake.

Becker: Tennis “almost a pioneer” in equal rights

Despite the examples, at least Boris Becker sees no need to catch up in tennis when it comes to treating players equally. “If we look at the other sports, we are almost pioneers when it comes to equality. Most major tournaments have the same prize money, and the fixtures are almost identical,” said the 55-year-old Eurosport expert. “Basically, tennis is an example of how equality works in sport.”

This statement will also be put to the test at the French Open. Last year, tournament director and ex-world-class player Amelie Mauresmo felt compelled to apologize after describing women’s tennis as less interesting than men’s. In nine out of ten games in the so-called night session, the men played on the Philippe Chatrier court.

Almost every day she looked for a game with the ladies that deserved to take place in the evening due to the constellation. “I have to admit it was difficult,” admitted the former Wimbledon champion. Sunday will show whether the search for glittering names has become easier given the retirements of superstars like Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty in recent years and the break of Naomi Osaka.