Maria proves equal to task Aces chauvinist on pay
Every few years, some male tennis player sticks his sneaker in his mouth by sniping about the quality and value of women’s tennis. These men never seem to learn a thing from the folly of their predecessors, or they would surely shut up and simply concentrate on their errant slices and wide topspin lobs.
It started way back in 1992, when Richard Krajicek suddenly became famous for his crack that “80% of the top hundred women are fat pigs who don’t deserve equal pay.” Then Thursday at Wimbledon, Gilles Simon, an ATP rep and second-tier player, again declared war on women — which inspired Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams to return serve.
Simon came off the court after a brutally unwatchable, straight-set loss to journeyman Xavier Malisse, reiterating the complaint that women’s matches weren't entertaining enough to merit equal pay. Simon cited free market economics as his working paradigm. He said tickets to the men’s final at Wimbledon cost more, so the men should receive more.
“Even for singers, for everything, you’re paid by the public directly,” Simon said. “I have the feeling that men's tennis is actually more interesting than women's tennis. As in any business, you just have to be paid about that. It's not because we play five sets and they are playing three.
. . . When that Shakira is singing, she is winning more money than most of the men because everybody want to see her.”
This is nonsense, for reasons that go beyond political correctness and gender equity. While it is true that (some) men's tennis is more popular at Wimbledon, it is arguably less popular right now at the U.S. Open, where Williams is America’s only hope for a title. Once you start divvying the pot by popularity, then Simon should get paid very little for his matches and Sharapova should be paid much more.
Which is something that Sharapova pointed out in her own press conference.
“We women have fought so long to get equal prize money ,” Sharapova said. "It was a big challenge and nobody really supported us. It's been a few years since we've gotten that. We’re all really proud of it, and we continue to build the sport and make it bigger. No matter what anyone says, or the criticisms that we get, despite everything else, I mean, I’m sure there are a few more people that watch my matches than his.”
When Sharapova’s remark was relayed to Simon, he wouldn't budge. He also wouldn’t apologize for his own desultory performance.
“I don’t have to respond to that,” he said of Sharapova’s remark. “It’s not about me, one player, or another one. Maria is more famous than me. I know it. She deserves to w in more money than me. That is not the problem. “My point of view doesn’t depend of my result,” Simon said. “It’s not only my point of view, it’s the point of view of everybody in the locker room, even for you, the media. It’s just difficult to talk about it. I don’t know why.”
Women didn't receive equal prize money at Wimbledon until 2007, when it became the last major to do so. Simon said he didn’t oppose the notion at that time because there were better players in the draw.
“Just after, unfortunately, most of these women stop,” he said, apparently referring to the likes of Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport and Justine Henin. “We have Roger, Rafa, Novak, and it was huge difference.”
Yes, the men have Federer, Djokovic and Nadal — or at least they used to have Nadal, before he was shocked Thursday in the second round — but they also have far too many matches such as Simon vs. Malisse. “I mean, definitely, a lot more people are watching Maria than Simon,” Serena Williams said. "She’s way hotter than he is. Women's tennis is really awesome. It’s a great fight. We fought for years with Billie Jean King and Venus as well, really set the pattern on what we should do.
“I started playing tennis at 2 years old,” Williams said. “I’m sure he started when he was 2 years old, as well. I worked just as hard as he did.”