Majority of WTA Top 20 send demand letter saying tour is 'not sustainable in the long run' and ask for wage guarantee

Most female tennis players in the top 20 have sent letters to the WTA with demands for a fixed salary for players up to the 250th position in the rankings

According to a report by X/formerly Twitter user Jon Wertheim, the players have come to an agreement to request from the Association, led by Steve Simon, the possibility to ensure a certain salary for female tennis players.

Tensions between tennis players and the ATP and WTA organizations have been on the rise in the past year as the challenges faced by many tennis players in making a living from the sport have become more apparent.

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Top 20 write but without American players

According to Wertheim, athletes in the top 20 sent a letter to the WTA, although the American female players in the top 20 did not participate in this particular letter. Notably, players like Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Madison Keys, who are currently part of the top 20, were not part of the group that sent the letter.

The players' demand will include that all the top 100 players should have a guaranteed income of $500,000, those ranked 101-175 should receive $200,000, and players ranked 176-250 should earn the minimum wage of $100,000.

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Djokovic raised awareness

In fact, the challenging situation faced by tennis players was commented on in March of this year by Novak Djokovic, who co-founded the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) with Vasek Pospisil. This association is dedicated to advocating for the rights of tennis players:

“According to some statistics, we are number three or four in the world in terms of viewership. 1.3 billion people are watching us. And yet only 400 people - men and women - can make a living from this sport,” he said.

The situation for female tennis players is even more challenging since, despite equal prize money for men and women in Grand Slams, women's tournaments at the 250, 500, and 1000 levels still offer lower prize money than their male counterparts in the same category.

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Conclusion

It remains to be seen if WTA will listen to the top 20 players requests to earn a better living for their lower ranked counterparts. The initiative though is courageous and blunt.

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