The issue of equal prize money has been a regular topic of debate within the tennis community in recent years.

Although in the Grand Slam events there has been equal pay since 2007, there is a vast disparity in the prize money offered at women-only tournaments compared to men-only competitions.

And speaking in an interview with Italian magazine Io Donna, Nadal said it was not fair that women earned the same as men.

“It’s a comparison we shouldn’t even make,” he said.