Billie Jean King's jab at Federer

Billie Jean King has surprised both fans and spectators with a attack on Roger Federer for not defending the equal prize money between the men's and women's circuits in the major tournaments. The American legend was a pioneer in the fight for women (she founded the WTA) and has shown this again by calling for a reaction from one of the biggest legends of the men's circuit. 

In an interview with Racquet, King expressed her dissatisfaction with Roger because she believes that he has not done enough to implement this equality. The criticism is directed at the significant voice the Swiss tennis player has, which could have helped bring the circuits closer together and assisted in ensuring that the major tournaments distribute prizes that are sometimes more inclined towards the men's draw.

“I wish he fought more for equality because I keep telling him: 'You have two boys and two girls! You have equality in your home!' Do you think he would ever do something to create a scandal? He doesn't want to. I would also like to make money," Jean King acknowledged. According to her, the fact that Federer does not raise his voice is because it would generate a lot of diverse opinions and would make him take a position in a debate that could generate some unnecessary haters at this stage of his life.

Federer's opinion on the equality of prize money for men and women

The fact is that Federer did comment on this when he was still a professional player, at the 2016 Miami Masters 1000. Ten years ago, the Swiss was in favor of equality but with a small caveat. "I am totally in favor of equal prize money, but then you have to analyze the history of each event, where it originated. Sometimes it is difficult to distribute the prize money equally. It depends on the tournament director to decide if they want it that way," he acknowledged.

Additionally, he added that "when I was fighting to increase prize money, especially at the Grand Slams, I was always very aware that this would have an impact on women's tennis, something that made me very happy. Both grew at the same time." A lot of time has passed since then, and the truth is that this gap in some tournaments has been reduced. Moreover, in some they earn the same.

However, the WTA is in a very delicate situation, on the verge of bankruptcy and facing considerable losses this year. In fact, there is a possibility that the ATP and WTA will join forces to avoid greater evils, which would also be a decision that could lead to unification of the prize money for both the men's and women's draws.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El dardo de Billie Jean King a Federer