Tennis Canada's Gavin Ziv on the challenges for women getting equal prize money

Women’s tennis players at the National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal will get the same amount of prize money as men starting in 2027 – and Tennis Canada’s Gavin Ziv said it’s been a ‘long, long way’ to get there.

Women’s tennis players at the National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal will get the same amount of prize money as men starting in 2027 – and Tennis Canada’s Gavin Ziv said it’s been a ‘long, long way’ to get there.

The chief tournament officer explained why the pay gap has been an issue for so long, in an interview with CTV Your Morning on Friday.

“Why is there a big difference in (pay)? Basically it’s the revenue of the sport, especially on the commercial dollars for TV rights,” he said.

“Men and women’s TV rights are just sold differently around the world, and haven’t achieved the same dollars on the women’s side as the men have done on that. It’s a big disparity.”

The Women Tennis Association announced last week that it’s setting a new commercial structure in order to better sell the sport and make more revenue, ensuring pay equity by 2033.

Ziv explained that some tournaments like the Bank National Open will expand, which will allow a growth in revenues that can be invested back in prize money. The Canadian tournament will take place over two weeks rather than one starting in 2025, when Tennis Canada also aims to start gradually closing the pay gap.

This year's men players at the Bank National Open in Toronto will get $8.8 million in prize money, while the women will get $3.72 million.