Kim Clijsters reacts to Iga Swiatek’s Grand Slam stance
Photo by Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Iga Swiatek is calling for a sit-down between players and tournament organisers at Roland Garros over ongoing prize money disagreements. Both Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have said they would skip Grand Slams in protest, demanding a fairer revenue split. But Swiatek isn’t quite ready to take that step.
“Boycotting the tournament, it’s a bit of an extreme situation. Hopefully, before Roland Garros, there’s going to be an opportunity to have these types of meetings, and we’ll see how they go,” she said. Kim Clijsters explains how she would approach the Grand Slam prize money dispute Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images Speaking on the latest episode of ‘Love All’, Clijsters shared her perspective.
“It is not a new topic. I feel like years ago, when I was a youngster growing up with Venus [Williams] and Serena [Williams] as role models, when it came to equal pay for women. I know Venus was in the meeting rooms at Grand Slams and talking to tournament directors, proving a point of why we deserve to be paid equally.
She succeeded,” said Clijsters. “The word boycott was being thrown out at times as well. “I think where Iga [Swiatek] stands with her comments was that ‘okay, maybe boycotting right now seems a little extreme, but let’s keep negotiating and then if nothing happens let’s see’.
“I think the approach I would take is, let’s have these top players sit in the meeting rooms and see what the challenges are. Clijsters went on to mention which players she believes need to step up if meaningful change is going to happen. Clijsters also touched on how current prize money levels affect those outside the spotlight.