Roger Federer: I Support Equal Prize Money, But It’s Also Up To The Tournaments

by Tom Gainey |

After six weeks off the tour recovering from left knee surgery, Roger Federer found himself returning to a sport embroiled in a white-hot equal prize money debate.

Novak Djokovic stated he thinks the men deserve more. Andy Murray countered, saying all combined events should have equal shares. Today, as expected Federer went right down the middle.

“I’m all for equal prize money,” Federer said today in Miami.

“But then you have to look at the history of each and every event, where it came from,” he said. “Some tournaments were a men’s tournament, then the women joined or vice versa, it was a women’s tournament and we joined them.

“It’s sometimes hard to make equal prize money there. It’s up to the tournament director to decide if he wants it to be that way.”

Federer also said he was happy to have been fighting with others on the ATP for more prize money at the Slams back in 2012, which also lifted the women’s purse.

“When I was fighting for prize money increases, especially at the slam level,” Federer added. “I was always very aware of the fact that it was always going to impact the women’s game, which I was very happy about. Both at the same time were growing.”

Federer also pointed out that the men don’t always get the same as the women at all the events.

“I mean, we don’t always get the same like the women, as well. I think it depends on what tournaments we are talking about,” he said. “I think you have to be very specific what you’re talking about.”

Federer, though, is pleased tennis such a great presence in female sports.

“I’m happy that tennis has produced some of the greatest female athletes in the world,” he concluded. “I think that’s great. It’s a great platform. Yeah, equal prize money is a good thing.”