Emma Raducanu Refuses to ‘Take Sides’ in Controversial Tennis Debate

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu's stance on subject of equal pay in tennis was deemed insensitive.

Emma Raducanu Refuses to ‘Take Sides’ in Controversial Tennis Debate

Emma Raducanu (via X @JJlovesTennis)

2025 marked the return of the WTA tournament to the Queen’s Club Championships after 52 years. The return was coupled with a special ceremony on the opening day with the unveiling of the newly renamed center court- Andy Murray Arena. Andy Murray also graced the opening day and did the coin toss for the first match of the tournament. A stark contrast however, is seen in the prize money between the women’s and men’s champions.

Tatjana Maria, the champion of the WTA event pocketed $164,000 compared to the prize purse of $540,000 for the men’s champion. Asked about the equal pay issue for women and men, Emma Raducanu while speaking to Sky News preferred to avoid the subject while declaring that money was not her main motivator to play the sport.

I’m sure a lot players will kind of say their piece on it, but I just prefer not to get involved and just whatever the situation is I’ll kind of roll with it, but I’m never really going to take a stand either way… I don’t really get involved or kind of stay in the loop with all the boards and all the decisions and stuff. I kind of just get on with it and I don’t feel like I really am playing for money.

The British No. 1 has amassed $5,189,913 in prize money throughout her career so far. She is also sponsored by Nike and Wilson, and is the brand ambassador of several luxury brands like Tiffany & Co., Dior, and Porsche. Raducanu’s statement about the pay disparity was deemed as insensitive and controversial considering the long drawn ongoing battle for gender pay equality in sports.

Of course I need to sustain my team which is extremely expensive and you know… with my kind of profile, coaches and team members kind of see that. So it is a very expensive sport, but it’s not my main motivator of why I play.

Tennis has come a long way in pay equality with several trailblazers who fought for the cause such as Billie Jean King and Venus Williams. In 1973, the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to offer equal prize money to men and women competitors.

The other Grand Slams soon followed suit, and by 2007 all the four Grand Slams paid equal prize money to its men and women counterparts. This equality is, however, yet to be reflected in all the WTA and ATP 1000 and 500 level tournaments.

Emma Raducanu’s back injury casts doubt over her fitness for Wimbledon

Emma Raducanu withdrew from the Berlin Open after suffering back issues at Queen’s. This casts doubts over her fitness for Wimbledon.

Emma Raducanu (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Emma Raducanu (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Having suffered from back spasms in recent months, Raducanu required a medical timeout during her quarter-final match at Queen’s against Qinwen Zheng which she eventually lost. Despite the loss, the 22-year-old overtook Katie Boulter as British No. 1, reaching this ranking for the first time in two years.

US Open shares a cute yet funny video of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz

Since the announcement of the US Open mixed doubles, there has been a lot of buzz around the pairing of former singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu. The Spaniard recently opened up in an interview that it was he who made the special request to Raducanu to pair up for the event. The US Open recently shared a hilarious clip from a joint interview starring the mixed doubles partners that is going viral on social media.

Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu
Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Raducanu News)

In this video, Alcaraz and Raducanu struggle to get on the same page when asked to pick sides for the coin flip. The funny struggle continues when Alcaraz asks Raducanu what side she would pick if they won the toss. With perfect comedic timing, Raducanu replies that she would let him pick. The brief snippet ends with both struggling to control their laughter.

Also Read: Emma Raducanu’s Harasser Caught Breaching Restrictions Ahead of Wimbledon