Serena Williams has been locked in a war of words with Novak Djokovic after the Serbian made comments about the widespread gender pay gap in tennis. After Djokovic publicly stated that men should be paid more than their female colleagues, Williams asked the world number one some tough questions.
Back in 2016, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said that the ATP should strive for a greater share of profits from the tennis world because they attract more viewers than the WTA side’s matches.
“I think our men’s tennis world, the ATP world, should strive for more because the statistics show we have more spectators at men’s tennis. I think that’s one of the reasons why we should win more awards,” Novak Press Association quoted Djokovic as saying.
Williams responded to the comments and said she would never believe her son should make more money than her daughter, assuming they both chose to pursue a career in tennis.
The American then questioned whether Djokovic would be willing to tell his daughter that her brother should make more money than she does just because he is a boy – another hypothetical scenario, considering the Serbian only had one son.
“If I had a daughter who plays tennis and a son who plays tennis, I wouldn’t say my son deserves more because he’s a man. If they both started at three, I would say they both deserve it According to the Mirror, Williams said: “The money. “
“I’ve been playing since I was two years old and it would be shocking to say that my son deserves more than my daughter. It doesn’t matter. (Djokovic) is entitled to his opinion, But if he has a daughter, and I think he has a daughter now, he should talk to her and tell her that his son deserves more money because he is a boy,” she added.
Interestingly, following backlash from the tennis community over his comments, Novak Djokovic issued a clarification, stressing that he fully supports men and women making the same amount of money.
Djokovic insists his initial comments, made during an adrenaline rush after a match, meant he was unable to properly express his feelings.
‘I would never pit one gender against another’ – Serena Williams on Novak Djokovic’s gender pay gap comments
Serena Williams expanded on her comments, saying she personally would never pit men and women against each other.
While the former world No. 1 admits tennis has been lucky to have witnessed many great male athletes, she doesn’t want fans to forget the fact that tennis is by far the biggest sport in which women can prove themselves on the big stage.
“It all comes down to this. I would never compare one gender to another. I think that comparison is unfair and we have so many great female champions and athletes who have given so much to the sport Came with such a great vision. There were great male players as well, but women’s tennis is the most important sport for women – period,” Serena Williams said.