Rafael Nadal hits back at Victoria Azarenka over criticisms of gender inequalit

Rafael Nadal has dispatched Victoria Azarenka’s suggestion that the men’s game should switch to three-set matches and believes the gender pay gap in tennis is fairer than in other sports. Earlier this week, Azarenka wrote on Twitter that there would be a ‘better quality’ of matches if they were reduced from best-of-five to best-of-three. “Men should just play best of three in my opinion! Will be much better quality of tennis and hopefully no ruined finals or semifinals because of the exhaustion… like has happened quite a bit.” Azarenka wrote in reply to a question she was asked on Twitter. https://twitter.com/vika7/status/1121111060596105217 All four majors have awarded equal prize money since 2007, though outside of those events the pay recess remains huge. Responding to Azarenka’s comment at the Barcelona Open, Nadal has hit back. “Why does she want us to play best of three? We’re happy playing best of five,” asked Nadal. “It doesn’t matter the prize money, or equal prize money or not, that’s your debate it’s not our debate. “It’s interesting that you are always debating on equal prize money in tennis when we are probably the only sport in the world where we are almost equal prize money in most of the events. So I don’t know why you don’t debate about football, basketball, about all the other important sports that women are miles away from the men. “You always debate here, in our sport, when we support more the women tour than any other sport in the world. So I’m a little bit tired thinking about we are against the girls. No, not at all. “Another thing is who sells more, who sells less, that is another debate, but it’s not about men or women it’s about persons and that’s all. We are the same, somebody deserve more and other ones deserve less. If you are in the same company as another man, and I am doing better in my job than the other man, I have to win more than the other. It doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or man and I’m a little bit tired about this debate all the time.”

Rafael Nadal applauds David Ferrer for Barcelona open shot