"I don't want to earn more than Serena Williams because I am Rafael Nadal" - Spaniard opens up about his 'feminist' outlook on equal pay
Rafael Nadal has opened up about his perspective on equal pay, citing Serena Williams' example to underscore the importance of women receiving the same opportunities as men.
Nadal is of the opinion that it is important to ensure that there is equal opportunity for female players to achieve success without resorting to "giving away gifts." While the Spaniard asserted that "the term feminist is taken to extremes," he aligned himself with the cause if it meant advocating for commensurate opportunities for women.
"What is unfair is that there is no equal opportunity. If you ask me if I am a feminist, if a feminist means saying that they deserve the same opportunities, yes I am," he said (via La Sexta).
The 22-time Grand Slam champion then expressed his reluctance to earn more than Serena Williams based solely on his name, emphasizing his desire for women to earn even more than men if they generated more revenue.
"I don't want me to earn more than Serena Williams because I am Rafa Nadal. I want women to earn more than men if they generate more than men," he added.
Highlighting tennis as a pioneer in offering equal prize money, Nadal attributed this progress to the worldwide popularity of women's tennis. He stated that if women's tennis continued to fill out stadiums, the players' earnings should reflect this success.
"The prizes, in tennis, are practically the same. Why? Because there was the opportunity for women's tennis to be liked by the world. Women's tennis is liked by the world, they earn a lot of money. If the women world champions are popular, they fill the stadiums... The more they win, the better," he said.
"I remember when Serena Williams was playing, the excitement is the same now with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Serena Williams' former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, recently emphasized the importance of "superstars" in drawing crowds to fill stadiums. He opined that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and the American were prime examples of this phenomenon, citing the immense excitement they had generated in the sport.
"I think every sport needs superstars. Superstars go beyond the sport, bring new fans. They fill up the stadium, and I think it's very important. I remember when Serena was playing. The excitement around it, of course, is the same now with Novak and with Rafa, who unfortunately couldn't play," Mouratoglou said in an Instagram reel.
The Frenchman further emphasized the need for a healthy balance between such superstars and emerging talents to maintain competitiveness and suspense in the sport.
"It brings a lot of attention. But I think it's exciting to have both superstars and also young players coming up, it's not great if the champions always win. There has to be some suspense and uncertainty," he said.
Patrick Mouratoglou enjoyed a highly successful partnership with Serena Williams, coaching the 23-time Grand Slam for a period of 10 years, from 2012 to 2022.