Katie Boulter calls for tennis change over $400,000 detail in Alex de Minaur triumph
Alex de Minaur won nearly three times more than his partner for winning 500 events.
Tennis fans have pointed out the disappointing difference in the prize money won by Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter after the couple triumphed in their most recent respective tournaments. De Minaur became just the third man to defend his Mexico Open title having defeated Casper Ruud in the final to maintain his brilliant start to the season.
The Aussie then opted for an early morning flight to the San Diego Open to watch Boulter play in her first WTA 500 final. And the British superstar was able to secure the title in the biggest win of her career, which has seen the 27-year-old also reach a career-high ranking.
Both Boulter and de Minaur would have been thrilled with their double triumph heading into Indian Wells. However, the prize money differential has once again caused backlash. Both players won 500 ranking points each, but de Minaur was awarded $US412,000 ($A633,000) - nearly three times more than Boulter's $US142,000 ($A218,000).
Grand slam tournaments award women and men the same prize money. But since the WTA and ATP are run separately - which includes each individual tournament - there is a sizeable difference in prize money due to how much money the respective tours opt to hand out.
Boulter addressed the pay gap in her post-match press conference and admitted it was not a strong look for the tours. "Regarding the prize money, I feel like there's a lot of equality in our sport in the biggest events," she said. "I really hope that the WTA can continue to help bridge the gap between the other events." Fans were also quick to point out the pay discrepancy, which is made more stark because the duo are a couple.
Tennis couple Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter. Both win 500 level titles on the same week. Alex wins $412,555 (Acapulco) , Katie wins $142,000 (San Diego) .It's a stark reminder of the importance of equal prize money at grand slams.
Congratulations champs! @alexdeminaur…— Gift Stefano Francis (@GiftFrancis98) March 4, 2024
Incredible wins for tennis couple Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter. Both win 500 level titles. Alex wins $412,555, Katie wins $142,000. Although not a like for like comparison, it's a stark reminder of the importance of equal prize money at grand slams.
— Tennis Weekly Podcast (@tennisweeklypod) March 4, 2024
Katie Boulter praises Alex de Minaur after win
Boulter was all smiles after her victory and reserved some special praise for de Minaur after he backed up his incredible season with a win in Acapulco. "He had an incredible week himself. What he's done is insane - to win back-to-back titles - and that's what I aspire to be like," she said.
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Earlier, she 'embarrassed' the 25-year-old Aussie having thanked him for foregoing his Acapulco celebrations to make an appearance with her team in the final.] "I want to say a small, special, thank you to my boyfriend," Boulter said as the crowd cheered.
"He finished last night at midnight and I really want to embarrass him. He got on a 4.15am taxi and a 6am flight to be here today. So I do appreciate it."
Boulter was all smiles during the kind words, as was de Minaur, with the Aussie momentarily burying his head due to the praise. Boulter is in career-best form and she jumped 22 positions to World No.27 after her title.
Unfortunately, Boulter's ranking jump didn't come in time for the Indian Wells main card draw. She was World No.49 last week and the Indian Wells draw used the rankings from last week, which means Boulter's last WTA 500 win didn't count. She won't be in the 32 seeds for the tournament.
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