ATP’S EARNINGS FAR MORE THAN WTA’S

There was a wide disparity between the prize money in the Rogers Cup women’s event in Montreal and the companion men’s event in Toronto.

Simona Halep, the women’s winner, received a cheque for $529,480 US. The men’s winner, Rafael Nadal. collected $1,020,425. The total financial commitment for the men’s event was $5,939,970 and that was more than double the $2,820,000 available for the women.

Eugene Lapierre, the tournament director in Montreal, offered reasons for the difference although none of them added up to such a wide gap.

There is more TV money for the men’s event, although there is presumably enough cash coming in for the women that the Montreal event added 11 a.m. matches for the first three days of the tournament to satisfy the international TV market.

He pointed out that the men’s event ATP Masters 1000 is a mandatory event while the women are strongly urged but not required to support the Canadian event. There is a problem with this argument because Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are among the players exempt from the mandatory requirement and Federer took advantage of that exemption to skip Toronto this year. The women’s field

was stronger this year. The cutoff for the men’s event was at No. 52 while the women’s cutoff was No. 47.

Ticket prices are the same for both events and, for this year, Lapierre said the attendance in Toronto was “a bit ahead” of Montreal. It’s different in the years when the men are in Montreal and the ladies are in Toronto. For some reason, the women don’t draw as well in Toronto as they do in Montreal.