Emma Raducanu calls out ‘UNFAIR’ and ‘HUGE’ gender pay gap in tennis… as she claims female stars are ‘technically better’ than their male counterparts

Emma Raducanu has hit out at the gender pay gap in tennis and claimed female stars are being underestimated.

Raducanu, 21, burst onto the scene as one of British tennis’ brightest hopes when she won the US Open in remarkable fashion at the age of 18 in 2021.

However, she has suffered from injuries over the past two years, but has gradually accelerated her comeback in recent months and is expected to compete in qualifying for the French Open next week.

And, ahead of the iconic French Open event, Raducanu – who narrowly missed out on automatic qualification – insisted female players don’t get the credit they deserve and expressed her thoughts on the differences by compared to men’s football.

“A lot of players are technically better,” she told The Times. “They rely on speed, agility and brains rather than brute strength.

Emma Raducanu claimed women’s tennis stars are ‘technically better’ than male players

The 21-year-old Briton said female players were underestimated and spoke out against the gender pay gap.

She also said that female stars rely on “speed, agility and brains rather than brute strength.”

Raducanu won the US Open in remarkable fashion when she was just 18 in 2021

“The gap in terms of prize money is huge on the ATP Tour, which I don’t necessarily think is fair, but also playing three sets in a slam is much better than the men’s five sets, which is brutal.”

When it comes to prize money, Roland Garros will award equal sums to both sexes, with the male and female winners set to receive €2.4 million (£2.1 million), but this is not Standard.

For example, the Italian Open is offering £550,000 to its champion this week, compared to around £750,000 to the winner of the men’s tournament.

Meanwhile, Raducanu has always emphasized her full dedication to her craft, but she continues to receive criticism for her various marketing and sponsorship commitments, with some claiming it has impacted her development on the pitch.

These include lucrative deals with companies like British Airways, Porsche, Evian, Nike and HSBC, among others.

However, the 21-year-old Brit insisted she was extremely driven and said her success came from her family’s strong work ethic, describing her parents Ian and Renee as “arrogant” during her youth, before to add that she “regrets nothing”. of their methods.

She explained: “They are so pushy. When I was younger, this was even more the case. Now they’re at the point where they’re telling me what they think is best, but they eventually realize that the more they insist, the more I’ll resist.

Raducanu has been criticized for her various business commitments, but she later explained her extreme dedication to her craft, which comes from her “pushy parents.”

She also spoke about her upbringing and revealed how her parents Renee (bottom left) and Ian (top right) were “so pushy”, but she added that she felt it shaped her to become the players she is.

“I saw some great people that I played with in juniors, who had much more forgiving parents, who said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you lose,’ and those players don’t play tennis anymore, so I do it. “I don’t blame my parents for that.

She continued: “My parents were very against it (my boyfriends) because it interfered with training.

“When I was younger, I wasn’t even allowed to go out with my friends. Most of the time I was very irritated.

“But it gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel comfortable in my own business, which is also a great strength.”