The topic has dominated headlines over the past few days following comments from former Indian Wells tournament director Raymond Moore and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
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Djokovic became entangled in the fallout when discussing remuneration on both tours.
Djokovic later issued a statement on Facebook, offering a qualified apology for his comments, which he said had been made while he was affected by the “euphoria and adrenalin” of his win at Indian Wells. That same year King played and beat Bobby Riggs during the so-called Battle of the Sexes match in Houston, and the US Open began to pay female players the same prize money as men.
Moore provoked outrage at the weekend when he said top-level women’s players rode “on the coattails of the men” and were “very, very lucky” to have equal prize money.
While tennis players and pundits have widely condemned Moore’s comments, a debate about equal pay for men and women has resurfaced in the wake of his remarks. Navratilova, a victor of 18 grand slam singles titles, said: “It is really disheartening to see Ray Moore offer the extremely prejudiced and very old-fashioned statements regarding women tennis players”. The only player she has faced more in her career is older sister Venus, who watched grim-faced from a box after losing early in her return to Indian Wells for the first time since 2001. “Obviously, I don’t think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that”, said the angry player.
“Tennis is a sport that I love and that gave me the opportunity to help others who still have a long way to go to achieve their dreams”. “But if he has a daughter – I think he has a son right now – I think he should talk to his daughter and tell her his son deserves more money than you because he’s a boy”.
Murray has been an outspoken figure in tennis recently after a match fixing scandal erupted at the Australian Open and Maria Sharapova failed a drug test and the Scot chose not to hold back in discussing gender equality. Get on your knees, which is offensive enough, and thank a man, which is not… we, as women, have come a long way. “They are very, very lucky”, he said.
Speaking to journalists on the morning of the final day of the tournament, Moore said: “In my next lifetime when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA, because they ride on the coattails of the men”. “I wouldn’t say my son deserved more money than my daughter because he’s a man. It would be shocking”. “The whole of tennis should strengthen from that, not just the men’s game”.
But Murray is a rare breed – a top male tennis player who legitimately respects the women’s game, without asterisks.
World number one Williams, seeking a third title at Indian Wells after winning her second a distant 15 years ago, was badly let down by her forehand, though she did mount a late fightback and broke Azarenka in the eighth game of the second set for 3-5.
“Who knows who the face of the tournament will be down the road”, he said. Four times she had a chance to get the break back, four times she failed, and Azarenka responded with some strong serving at the right time to hold, 2-0.
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“I think it’s still a problem in the world”, Azarenka added.
