World No 1 Iga Swiatek announced her arrival in the big-time of tennis when she won the 2020 French Open just four years later, she is about to become one of the game’s biggest earners.
The debate over equal prize money in tennis will continue to rumble on, with WTA Tour stars earning considerably less than their male counterparts in numerous tournaments over the course of the year.
Inflated broadcast deals agreed by the ATP Tour highlight the greater demand for the men’s game and that explains part of the reason why their is a disparity in payments.
Yet the Grand Slam tournaments have an equal pay set-up in place and that has allowed 22-year-old Swiatek to make a huge leap up the all-time prize money list in the women’s game.
Her win the lucrative WTA Finals in Mexico at the end of last season contributed to her cash haul and now she is certain to break into the top ten of the all-time prize money list when she plays at the WTA 1000 event at Indian Wells.
She will leap above Svetlana Kuznetsova when she plays in the Californian desert, with Polish star Agnieszka Radwańska next in her sights in ninth spot on the all-time list.
Serena Williams and her sister Venus are in the top two positions in the prize money list, with Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova also in the top ten.
Tennis icons Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf won many more tournaments than players such as Swiatek and Halep, but they were playing in an era when prize money was much more diluted.
Despite her huge wealth that has been collected in double quick time, Swiatek suggests tennis needs to do more to ensure prize money parity in the men’s and women’s game becomes the norm.
“I think (tennis) is better than most sports, but still there is a lot we can work on in terms of, you know, getting equal prize money on some WTA tournaments compared to ATP on the same level,” said Swiatek.
“Grand Slams are already even, as we know. That’s nice, but for sure it would be good if WTA would focus on that, but I don’t really want to get into that, because it’s a lot of business and sometimes politics.
“I don’t think I have a lot of influence. I just can say that it would be nice for our sport if it was equal, especially because we kind of do the same work.
“I also get people who are saying that men’s tennis is nicer to watch and guys can do more because they are physically and biologically stronger.
“But I think there were a lot of people, for example a couple of years ago, who were saying that (the women’s game is) not consistent and that’s a shame and it should be better, but right now basically I think we are even more consistent than the guys with our game.
“Watching women’s tennis gives the same emotions, and sometimes even like more emotions, because we are women and we are a little bit more emotional.”
ALL-TIME PRIZE MONEY LIST IN WOMEN’S TENNIS
1. Serena Williams – $94,816,730
2. Venus Williams – $42,595,397
3. Simona Halep – $40,203,437
4. Maria Sharapova – $38,777,962
5. Petra Kvitova – $37,252,032
6. Victoria Azarenka – $37,050,704
7. Caroline Wozniacki – $35,669,918
8. Angelique Kerber – $32,183,533
9. Agnieszka Radwanska – $27,683,807
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – $25,816,890
11. Iga Swiatek – $25,809,127
12. Karolina Pliskova – $25,659,045
13. Garbine Muguruza – $24,813,379
14. Martina Hingis – $24,749,074
15. Kim Clijsters – $24,545,194
16. Ashleigh Barty – $23,829,070
17. Elina Svitolina – $23,142,499
18. Aryna Sabalenka – $22,595,934
19. Lindsay Davenport – $22,166,338
20. Steffi Graf – $21,895,277
21. Martina Navratilova – $21,626,089