Sports: Disparity in prize money for men and women tennis players to go

Gender equity is the new slogan in the world of sports. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been taking steps and introducing measures to ensure equal participation of men and women in all competitions held under its umbrella, affiliate International Sports Federations (ISFs) are also contributing their mite in achieving “gender equity” in all aspects of competitive sports. There have been areas, including prize money, where there is a big gap between men and women players. Now efforts are being made to end this disparity.

Tennis Canada and National Bank  have taken the lead in restoring parity. They have jointly announced that the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (NBO) will reach a historic milestone by awarding the same amount of prize money to its women and men players beginning in 2027. The pathway to equal prize money will see a significant increase in earnings for the women’s event in the coming years.

Another good news is that the Canadian tournament  will receive an upgrade in status on both the Hologic WTA Tour and ATP Tour, expanding from seven-day main draw events to 12 days starting in 2025, with the exception of Olympic years.

“This is a really exciting day for professional tennis in Canada,” said Gavin Ziv, Chief Tournament Officer at Tennis Canada. “Creating a clear path towards equal prize money at our tournament has been years in the making and it required a lot of work. Fortunately, with the help of the WTA and National Bank, that goal will become a reality in 2027 and we couldn’t be more delighted.”

Tennis Canada has been continuing to advance equity for women and girls at all levels of the tennis ecosystem in the country. It plans two more important steps in the next four years that will bring the National Bank Open even closer to that goal.

To generate additional resources from WTA Ventures, the Hologic WTA Tour announced it had signed an agreement with CVC Capital Partners to create WTA Ventures. This new entity will centralize WTA commercial rights and assets (broadcast, betting, data, sponsorship, etc.), which will bring a gradual influx of funds for the National Bank Open. Tennis Canada’s plan is to use these funds to significantly reduce the prize money gap between women and men at the tournament.

Meanwhile, support from National Bank, the tournament’s title sponsor and Tennis Canada’s long-time partner, will continue to support the federation by providing resources to help reduce the gap over the next few years and offer equal prize money to both women and men starting in 2027. National Bank is a key partner in the gender equity movement at Tennis Canada, both for its critical financial investment and as a strategic planning partner, and today’s announcement highlights its commitment towards creating more opportunities for women and girls in tennis, from the professional tours to the playgrounds.

“National Bank signed a long-term partnership with Tennis Canada as the title sponsor of the NBO two years ago,” said Lucie Blanchet, Executive Vice-President, Personal Banking and Client Experience at National Bank of Canada. “From the very beginning, our vision included the goal of providing equal prize money. We knew the pathway to equity would take commitment, discipline, and determination. It requires removing barriers and putting intentional measures in place. We are very proud that the hard work we put in with Tennis Canada and the WTA led to the announcement of this significant milestone in Canada. It will support and benefit all tennis players and fans, but more importantly, it will empower more girls to get involved in tennis because they’ll know that everyone can have the same opportunities to grow equally in the sport.”

In the four years preceding 2027, the prize money will increase to reduce the current difference in pay between women and men players. Therefore, the National Bank Open’s WTA prize money is projected to rise from roughly 32% of the ATP prize money in a 2-week format to nearly 60% by 2025, when both events expand to 12-day main draws, 78% in 2026 and to 100% by 2027. The total WTA prize money will be close to 10M US$ beginning in 2027, a 350% increase over just four years.  

“Achieving equal prize money at the NBO is a crucial milestone of Tennis Canada’s plan to provide women’s tennis with more commercial opportunities,” said Valérie Tétreault, National Bank Open Tournament Director in Montréal. “We have invested time and resources into giving the women’s game the attention and place it deserves. Our 2023 marketing campaign stating that “the best of women’s tennis is the best of  tennis” is a clear example of these efforts. We have long believed that players on the WTA Tour showcase some of the highest level of skill and athleticism we have ever seen, and with the support of National Bank and the WTA, we will soon be able to recognize that fact with equal prize money. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

The pathway to equity at the National Bank Open is one of the main goals of Tennis Canada’s new Game. Set. Equity. commitment. Unveiled in March in partnership with National Bank, the commitment is an ambitious and holistic strategy for creating sustainable change for women and girls in all areas of tennis, from high-performance and coaching to leadership and beyond. Over the next five years, Game. Set. Equity. will be delivered through five key pillars that align with the ITF’s Advantage All Strategy, one being the commercial advancement of the women’s game. 

Prabhjot Singh