Posted on 03/11/2024 2:29:57 PM PDT by nickcarraway
AELTC chair is thought to be in favour of proposals, while former British No 1 is understood to have expressed strong support for reforms
The All England Club has backed proposals for a reformed tennis calendar offering equal prize money all year round, Telegraph Sport understands.
At the moment, there is a significant difference in the prize money handed out by the ATP and WTA Tours, so that the top 10 women earned around £40 million between them last year to their male equivalents’ £66 million.
But at a meeting in Indian Wells on Saturday, new AELTC chair Debbie Jevans supported a new “Premium Tour” model which would thin out tennis’s notoriously overcrowded calendar, while also making it more equitable for the leading women.
While Jevans addressed the meeting remotely, AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton and committee member Tim Henman were both present on Saturday in Indian Wells – the so-called “Tennis Paradise” in the Californian desert.
Henman is understood to have expressed strong support for the reforms, which would limit elite players’ commitments to the four majors, 10 other Masters events, one team competition and a combined end-of-year finals involving both sexes.
According to sources, Henman was insistent that tennis’s brief off-season is inadequate, saying that players need fully eight weeks to recover and prepare for the new year. This would be possible under the new model, which has been gathering momentum since Tennis Australia first conceived it last autumn.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
“so that the top 10 women earned around £40 million between them last year to their male equivalents’ £66 million. “
That is probably the smallest percentage gap of any sport.
What is the demand for women’s tennis compared to men’s tennis?
Don’t female gymnasts and figure skaters make more than men?
that is the measure
the men usually have to subsidize the women to get “equality”
At the very least make them work the same for the money then. Three winning sets instead of two, so a possible five sets instead of a paltry three.
Expect them to complain loudly....or drop like flies on the court.
How many paying attendees do the men generate vs. the women’s numbers? It is a business, I assume?
And men will only play 3 sets against substantially weaker players.
Once upon a time, prize money depended on butts in seats. Now it depends on sponsorships and tv money. That allows the activists and extortionists to move in.
It’s the same thing that is now (further) corrupting the movie business. Not so long ago, the success of a film depended on box office receipts, with the addition of a secondary physical media revenue stream when VHS tapes, DVDs and Blu-rays were introduced. Now the streamers dominate the industry and the streaming model is subscription driven. Enter the shakedown artists.
Do the professional sports need actual fans in the stands any more? Start with basketball. Equalize NBA and WNBA salaries. It’s mostly tv money. Equity, man, equity.
Men play best of five sets in tournaments, Women play best of three.
Women are overcompensated.
Tim Fagman
Only in the four majors.
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