Emma Raducanu claims female stars are ‘technically better’ than their male counterparts as she slams ‘UNFAIR’ and ‘HUGE’ gender pay gap in tennis… and opens up on her ‘pushy’ parents

Emma Raducanu has exposed the gender pay gap in tennis, claiming female stars are undervalued.

Raducanu, 21, dramatically burst onto the scene as one of the greatest players in British tennis when she won the US Open in remarkable fashion in 2021 at the age of 18.

However, she has struggled with injuries over the past two years but has gradually staged her comeback in recent months and will take part in qualifying for the French Open next week.

And ahead of the iconic event at Roland-Garros, Raducanu – who narrowly missed out on automatic qualification – stressed that women are not getting the credit they deserve and expressed her thoughts on the differences with the men’s game.

“Many female players are technically better,” she said The times. ‘They rely on speed, agility and brains rather than brute strength.

The Brit, 21, felt female players were undervalued and hit out at the gender pay gap

She also said that female stars rely on ‘speed, agility and brains rather than brute strength’

‘The difference in prize money is huge on the ATP tour, which I don’t necessarily think is fair, but drawing three sets in the slams is a lot better than the five for the men, which is brutal.’

In terms of prize money, the French Open will award equal amounts to both genders, with both male and female winners receiving €2.4 million (£2.1 million), but this is not the norm.

The Italian Open, for example, is offering £550,000 to the female champion this week, compared to around £750,000 to the winner of the men’s tournament.

Meanwhile, Raducanu has always stated her complete dedication to her craft, but she continues to face criticism over her various marketing and sponsorship commitments, with some claiming that this has affected her development on the pitch.

These include lucrative deals with the likes of British Airways, Porsche, Evian, Nike and HSBC.

However, the 21-year-old Briton insisted she is extremely driven and said her success comes from her family’s strong work ethic. She described her parents Ian and Renee as “pushy” during her childhood, before adding that she “doesn’t regret any of their methods.”

She explained: ‘They are so pushy. When I was younger, more. Now they’re at a point where they tell me what they think is best, but they eventually realize that the more they push, the more I resist.

“I’ve seen some great people in the juniors that I played with, who had much more lenient parents, who said, ‘It’s okay if you lose,’ and those players don’t play tennis anymore, so I do too. ‘I can don’t blame my parents.’

Raducanu won the US Open in remarkable fashion when she was just 18 in 2021

Raducanu has been criticized for her various commercial commitments, but she went on to explain her extreme dedication to her craft, which stems from her “pushy parents.”

She also opened up about her upbringing, revealing how her parents Renee (middle left) and Ian (top right) were ‘so pushy’, but added that she feels it has shaped her into the players she is.

She continued, “My parents were very against that (boyfriends) because it interfered with training.

‘When I was younger, I wasn’t even allowed to hang out with my friends. I was often very indignant.

‘But it gave me a lot of self-confidence and comfort in my own company, which is also a great strength.’