“Still no inclusion of trans-athletes” – WTA announces equal pay but fans remain unsatisfied as questions continue to be asked

WTA introduces new calendar structure from 2024.

“Still no inclusion of trans-athletes” – WTA announces equal pay but fans remain unsatisfied as questions continue to be asked

WTA (Image via WTA)

The ATP and WTA gap has been on the increase in the last few years and it was calling for a big change in one of the tours. And now, finally, the time has come. The WTA Tour has come up with several new changes and ideas that will come into effect in the coming years.

The entire WTA calendar structure is going through a change as tournaments are added both in the 1000-point and 500-point levels. The end goal is certainly to make WTA more competitive and the pay difference nil.

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The WTA has decided to introduce 10, 1000-point tournaments from the 2024 season. The three new tournaments that are going to be added are Dubai, Doha and the third one is yet to be named. Also, Rome, Beijing, Cincinnati, and Toronto are going to change to two-week events in addition to the already existing Madrid, Indian Wells, and Miami.

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With the Middle East getting two new 1000 events, it seems that the deal with Saudi is almost done and that will bring in revenue left right, and center. In addition to the 1000 events, WTA is also going to increase the number of 500-level events to seventeen.

Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Berlin, Brisbane, Charleston, Eastbourne, Monterrey, San Diego, Seoul, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Tokyo, United Cup, Washington, Zhengzhou, and two yet-to-be-named events are going to be part of the 500 points circuit. The WTA looks to make equal pay in the combined ATP and WTA tournaments by 2027. Also, it looks to make only WTA events equally paying by 2033.

Related: Carlos Alcaraz grows in confidence as he dethrones Novak Djokovic as World No. 1 days before Wimbledon

Twitter comes up with mixed reactions to the new WTA structure

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WTA (Image via WTA)

Twitter has come up with mixed reactions to the newly announced WTA structure. A few feel that the structure is going to bring a lot of positivity. A few have also commented on the neglected trans athletes. Many are complaining about the fact that equal pay will start in 2027 and not now. People also have doubts about the rule of the top 30 not being allowed to compete in WTA 250 events. Have a look at the tweets-

https://twitter.com/kika555779292/status/1673673105770774534?s=20

In all, it’s a bold move by the WTA. It may not get positive reactions right away. However, with time it looks like the understanding of tennis going in the right direction will spread. It is going to be interesting to see how players react to this change. Both ATP and WTA players’ opinions will be looked at deeply.

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