Serena Williams has always been outspoken when it comes to women’s rights, and that includes the fight for equal pay in tennis. She’s never shied away from saying women deserve the same as men, but even she admitted that change wouldn’t come instantly; it’s something that takes time.
Tennis is one of the few sports where the pay gap between men and women is relatively smaller, especially when compared to sports like basketball or soccer. All four Grand Slams, along with most ATP and WTA 1000 events, offer equal prize money to both genders. However, there are still a handful of tournaments that haven’t closed that gap yet.
Williams, having been in the thick of the fight for equal pay herself, was asked in 2022 what she thinks about other sports now trying to follow tennis’ lead. She said change doesn’t happen overnight. But she also sounded hopeful, adding that if people keep pushing, things will eventually move in the right direction.
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"You just can't expect things to change overnight," she told CBS News. "I like that people are starting to recognize that women do deserve equal pay and they deserve the same that a male gets.”
Serena Williams didn’t just make history with her 23 Grand Slam titles; she made a fortune along the way, too. By the time she played her final match at the 2022 US Open, she had earned nearly $95 million in prize money alone, making her one of the highest-paid players in tennis history.
Serena Williams: "Women deserve the same pay...we work just as hard as men”
Serena Williams has never hesitated to speak up about the gender pay gap, and one such moment came during her 2016 interview with Melissa Harris-Perry for Glamour. She used the opportunity to share her thoughts with honesty and pushed for financial equality across all walks of life.
Williams said:
“These sports have a lot of work to do. And I really hope that I can be helpful in that journey because I do believe that women deserve the same pay. We work just as hard as men do. I've been working, playing tennis, since I was three years old. And to be paid less just because of my sex—it doesn't seem fair.”
“Will I have to explain to my daughter that her brother is gonna make more money doing the exact same job because he's a man? If they both played sports since they were three years old, they both worked just as hard, but because he's a boy, they're gonna give him more money? Like, how am I gonna explain that to her?” she added.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion continued:
“In tennis, we've had great pioneers that paved the way—including Venus, who fought so hard for Wimbledon to pay women the same prize money they pay men, and Billie Jean King, who is one of the main reasons Title IX exists.”
Like Serena Williams, Venus Williams has been a powerful voice in the fight for equal pay in sports. She hasn’t officially retired from tennis yet, and throughout her career, she has earned $42,648,578 in prize money, making her one of the wealthiest players in the sport.
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