Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have had plenty to say on the equal pay issue in tennis with Aryna Sabalenka reigniting the debate after her tournament win.

Aryna Sabalenka said female tennis players deserve to be paid the same as men (Image: Getty)

Aryna Sabalenka has reignited her frustration over equal pay in tennis – a matter that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have previously taken a stance on. The Belarusian star continued her impressive 2024 season as she picked up the Cincinnati Masters title after defeating Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-5 in the final as she heads into the US Open with ultimate confidence.

Following her victory, the 26-year-old decided to shine a light on the equal pay disparity that exists in tennis as she picked up $524,730 (£400,000) for winning the tournament which is half of what Jannik Sinner received for winning the men’s final with the Italian earning $1,049,460 (£775,000) for his triumph.

Sabalenka urged female players to be paid the same as men as she stated: “From the TV point of view, from the ticket selling, from every point of view, it’s unfair. Of course, guys are always going to be physically stronger than women but it doesn’t mean we’re not working as hard as they do. Women deserve to be paid an equal amount of money that men do.”

The conversation surrounding equal pay in tennis has long been a contentious topic and one that both Djokovic and Nadal have spoken on in the past. Both players previously argued against equal pay with the Serbian claiming that male players should fight for “more” money during the 2016 Indian Wells Masters.

Djokovic’s comments came on the back of the then-tournament CEO Raymond Moore sparking mass controversy by claiming that female players “ride on coattails of the men” and should “get on their knees and thank God” that players like Nadal and Roger Federer “carried” the sport.

The 37-year-old listed out his reasons as to why he believes that men should be rewarded more as he said: “I think that our men’s tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men’s tennis matches, I think that’s one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more” before backtracking on his stance a week later as he then said: “I never had an issue with equality in gender or sport or other areas of life.

“I feel very sorry if, in any way, I hurt my female colleague tennis players. I have a very good relationship with all of them. I have a huge respect for all of them.” Since his comments eight years ago, Djokovic has since become an advocate for equal pay as well as improved pay distribution for lower-ranked players and has actively worked to better it by creating the Professional Tennis Players Association in 2020 with Vasek Pospisil.

The Serbian icon once claimed men should fight for “more” money back in 2016 (Image: Getty)

Nadal was another giant in the sport that argued against equal pay and in 2018, he told Italian magazine Lo Donna: “Female models earn more than male models, and nobody says anything. Why? Because they have a larger following. In tennis, too, who gathers a larger audience earns more.”

Six years on, the Spaniard has urged for the same opportunities to be given to both male and female players but claimed the prize money should be based on how much money a player generates, rather than it being equal across the board. “I don’t want to be hypocritical and say things that are easy to say and that I don’t feel. What do you want me to say? For me, the investment for women should be the same as for men,” the 22-time major champion said in a TV interview with La Sexta earlier this year.

“The opportunities, the same. The salaries, the same? No, for what? It’s not unfair, what’s unfair is that there isn’t equal opportunity. I have a mother and a sister. If you tell me that men and women deserve the same opportunities, I’m a feminist. This term is taken to the extreme. If we’re talking about logical and normal things in this conversation, of course I want equality.”

The 38-year-old admitted that it “bothers me” when he’s told that prize earnings must be equal for male and female players. “For me, equality isn’t about giving away gifts, but if Serena Williams earns more than me, I want her to earn more than me. I want equality, I want women to earn more than men if they generate more than men.

“What bothers me is when people tell me that income and earnings should be equal. In tennis, for some reason, the payouts are almost equal in most events because at the time there was an opportunity for women’s tennis to be seen.”