By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, July 30, 2023
Andy Murray is not only a major champion, he's championed equality for years.
Murray, whose mother Judy Murray was his original coach, is one of the few top male players to have worked with a female coach, Hall of Famer Amelie Mauresmo.
Murray: Full Steam Ahead
Meeting the media today in Washington, DC, Murray was asked to address the prize money disparity at the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
Though it's a 500-level tournament for both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Washington DC men's champion will receive $353,445 while the women's winner will cash a champion's check of $120,150.
Overall, the Mubadala Citi DC Open's total men's financial commitment is $2,178,980, while the total women's financial commitment is $780,637.
Murray, who has long advocated equal pay for men and women in tennis, said uniting the ATP and WTA as one pro circuit will be the equalizer.
"I'm totally behind equal prize money, and I think that it is brilliant that a lot of the tournaments on the tour that we have that, and I think that's really, really positive," Murray told the media in Washinton, DC today. "I think it is difficult for it ever to become truly equal until the ATP and the WTA sort of actually combine and work together.
"That's my feeling, because I don't know what the, you know, like what the threshold for tournaments is, like to become a 500 on the ATP Tour, if the ATP will have their set of rules as to what levels they need to reach from a prize money perspective, and I'm sure the WTA have their own."
Tournament owner Mark Ein says the Mubadala Citi DC Open is committed to equal prize money by 2027.
"I think one of the things about tennis that's so special, obviously, is it's the one sport where men and women compete on the same court at the same time, same playing surface, but it never felt right that they were different-level events," Ein said. "I'm really proud we were able to pull this off, make it the first combined 500 in the world.
"We committed to equal prize money by 2027. The event, if it stayed as a stand-alone, it was 2033. So I think it's a great step forward for tennis and for this event."
The two-time Olympic gold-medal champion Murray supports equal prize money, particularly when men and women are playing at the same event, but doesn't envision it completely happening until there is one true unified tour.
"Yeah, like I always felt like when we're competing at the same event on the same courts, you know, that we should be playing for the same prize money," Murray said. "But I think for it ever to become like truly equal, the WTA and the ATP are actually going to have to come together and work as one before that's the case, because I don't think it's that straightforward just now that both tours have different sponsors, different TV deals, and all of that stuff too."
Grand Slam champions ranging from Billie Jean King to John McEnroe to Chrissie Evert to Roger Federer have supported a combined tour with McEnroe telling Tennis Now he believes it's not only inevitable, but will grow tennis when it happens. ATP Chief Andrea Gaudenzi has also advocated for a merger.
Back in 2020, Federer famously called on the ATP and WTA Tours to join forces as one unified governing body to strengthen the sport after the pandemic.
In response to a tweet from @FedererArmy, who wrote "I would love for the ATP and WTA to merge", Federer concurred pointing out a combined Tour would create clarity and eliminate confusion for fans, the Swiss superstar concurred.
"I agree with you," Federer replied. "It’s too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different websites, different tournament categories.
It probably should have happened a long time ago, but may now is really the time."
Photo credit: @QueensClub