Aryna Sabalenka believes female athletes DESERVE to be paid the same as men following her US Open final loss to Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka focused on the inequality of salaries between men's and women's tennis players at the post-match press conference.

Aryna Sabalenka believes female athletes DESERVE to be paid the same as men following her US Open final loss to Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka (Image via US Open Tennis Championships/YouTube)

It was a tough night for Belarussian ace Aryna Sabalenka after she lost to 19-year-old Coco Gauff in the US Open final despite bagging the very first set. Gauff soon turned the match in her favor, with Sabalenka not being able to recover after committing too many double faults. In a match where Aryna was hugely regarded as the favorite, she underperformed yet again, now missing out on yet another Grand Slam. 

At the post-match press conference, Sabalenka went up to talk about a completely different issue, shifting the focus from her loss. She focused on the salary inequality between men’s and women’s tennis players and wanted something to be done about that issue.

She emphasized how hard the women’s tennis players work in order to perform on the court. That’s not all, as per the tennis professional herself, despite the difference in levels between men’s and women’s tennis, she feels that it’s an injustice to be underpaid.

Focusing on salary inequality Sabalenka said, “I think women deserve to be paid the same as men. We sacrifice a lot. We work really hard. It’s not like we’re doing nothing, and they pay us the same. We deserve to be paid the same. The level is probably different. Men are stronger, but we are still putting a lot of work in. I think we deserve to be paid the same.”

Also Read: Maria Sharapova breaks the hearts of fans by admitting to not missing the sport as she attends the opening day of the US Open 2023

What went wrong for Aryna Sabalenka in the final?

Collage Maker 10 Sep 2023 04 41 PM 6565
Aryna Sabalenka frustrated with herself during the final. (credits: USOpen.org)

During the US Open final, Sabalenka was considered the favorite, but she once again stumbled and ended up on the losing side. It has become a regular occurrence for Sabalenka to fumble in matches where she is expected to perform well. She started the match strongly, winning the first set 6-2, thereby not giving the American any chance to settle into the match.

However, in the following two sets, she was completely out of touch, committing silly mistakes and giving away points way too easily. For competition as high as the US Open final, she went on to commit six double faults, and the majority of her returns were going off the court, which was a clear indication of her losing momentum yet again on the big stage. Despite making it to the semis of all four Grand Slams, Sabalenka will end the year with a single Slam, which she won in the very first month of the season.

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