Tennis Players Sound off about Sexism on Twitter

TENNIS PLAYERS SET TWITTER ABLAZE OVER SEXISM ROW

3/23/2016

Monday, March 22nd will (hopefully) be remembered as the day that the discourse surrounding sexism in tennis and the discrepancy in earnings between the ATP and WTA tours took a giant step forward. On the heels of Raymond Moore's sexist comments at the BNP Paribas Open, tennis players took to Twitter and sounded off in a way that we have never seen before.

Nicole Gibbs, Alla Kudryavtseva, and Andy Murray were the chief advocates today; in a sport that has too often closed ranks around the chief offenders who perpetuate rampant sexism, the chorus railing against the establishment was a welcomed reprieve. More importantly, Murray and Gibbs aimed their efforts at noted sexist, Sergiy Stakhovsky, member of the ATP Player's Council. Their persistent tweeting will hopefully shine a sustained light on Stakhovsky, his antiquated beliefs, and underscore just how big a problem tennis and the ATP faces. After all, how can the sport and the ATP seriously address this issue when Stakhovsky is allowed to sit on its Player's Council? An elected member by ATP players, change will likely only be possible if more of Stakhovsky's peers say "enough is enough."

.@ATPWorldTour, is the theory here tht @WTA players are stealing money out of ur pockets by being offered equal pay @ few tournies? #curious
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) 23 March 2026

And I've been reeled back in. This. Is. Not. The. Point. Ugh □□ https://t.co/yezKJds13M
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) 23 March 2026

10 first round retirements at @usopen for the men last year. 15% of 1R matches. https://t.co/xxT7wYsl3Y
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) 23 March 2026

Happy to! If fans would prefer it. My belief is that @WTA believes better fan/ viewing experience is best of 3. https://t.co/9dEZF1BBBV
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) 23 March 2026

Just love @Gibbsyyyy 's take over on Twitter to defend equal rights&prize money and her attention to male players who support the good fight
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) 23 March 2026

Watching this Stako @andy_murray exchange like pic.twitter.com/7rQUya3sh3
— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) 23 March 2026

Andy Murray popped up on Twitter to take Sergiy Stakhovsky to the woodshed. Murray, often the lone voice of dissent in a sea of patriarchy in tennis, sought out the Ukrainian to try and make sense of his logic used to attack the argument for equal prize money in tennis.

@Stako_tennis @donniejsackey stako my man! How's things? What does the university someone goes to have to do with this?
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@Stako_tennis as soon as we leave uk territory more people are watching you than Laura? Really?
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@Stako_tennis I played you in a Davis cup match in Ukraine and there must have been a thousand people there max!
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@Around_ThePost lol I'm a bit confused by how I became involved but I'd rather not go to Kiev.
— Laura Robson (@laurarobson5) March 23, 2026

Sorry, Stakho, Laura's not coming to Kiev anytime soon.

@Stako_tennis how many empty seats were there serge? I wasn't counting was focusing on getting the W□
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@Stako_tennis but seriously explain about the university please.. Didn't quite understand where you were goin with that
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@Stako_tennis I've read the article and still don't get it! I thought you were suggesting that someone who goes to a better university
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@Stako_tennis should get a better job than someone who goes to a less prestigious university but then realised that would be ridiculous!□
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) 23 March 2026

@andy_murray muzza is God
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) 23 March 2026

@andy_murray you just stated that it is "ridiculous" that people would get a better job based on Uni they attend. Correct?
— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) 23 March 2026

Sergiy Stakhovsky has a talent for finding Twitter conversations in which he is not tagged. Note how Murray inadvertently tagged @Stako instead of @Stako_tennis in that last tweet sequence, but Stakhovsky still found it and replied. Similarly, he found Wertheim's tweet about him below. Research suggests that 50% of players ranked outside of the ATP top 100 share this talent.

@jon_wertheim never saw the show, but assume Puck must have always thought he was the smartest person in the room, but never was
— James Blake (@JRBlake) 23 March 2026

@jon_wertheim ??
— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) 23 March 2026

Alla Kudryavtseva joined in the fun, taking Stakhovsky to task over the scandal Stakhovsky created for himself last summer when he made disparaging comments about gays in tennis. Thankfully, Kudryavtseva has not forgotten.

Provide us with context please... Because as someone who knows you from a very young age I was shocked... https://t.co/zZKNau2Po4
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) 23 March 2026

I know how journalism works and how they can blow things up. But no one could blow up lesbians out of that. https://t.co/CxSXxa8pjd
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) March 23, 2026

Never clarified about the quote though https://t.co/3VGHBSmwBo
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) 23 March 2026

Frankly yes,I didn't feel the desire to reach out.I didn't say anything to offend you.Why should I be reaching out? https://t.co/GwHnGRXRaK
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) 23 March 2026

So in which part did you say half of us are lesbians? https://t.co/uBk459RluE
— Alla Kudryavtseva (@AllaK11) 23 March 2026

@AllaK11 get the audio and listen for urself. You are just another tennis player which I know. If I would have to clarify to everybody □□□
— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) 23 March 2026

@Stako_tennis An interesting few days in my old sport! How are you my friend?
— Neil Harman (@Neil_Harman57) 22 March 2026

Neil Harman, disgraced tennis writer and proven plagiarist, came out of the woodwork to interact with Stakhovsky, as he attempted to make his case for men being paid more than women. Just a pair of old pals catching up.

And from the etcetera department:

Congrats @ATPWorldTour for the outstanding efforts to improve the standards in tennis. We are ALL in a privileged position because of it □□□
— Daniel Vallverdu (@danielvallverdu) 23 March 2026

@BenRothenberg so apart from tennis if i work on the construction 2 hours should i earn the same as the guy who works 5 hours same job?
— Dusan Lajovic (@Dutzee) 23 March 2026

Jonathan Newman is the author of "This Week In Tennis," a weekly recap series bringing you all the goings on in the world of tennis.

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TENNIS PLAYERS SET TWITTER ABLAZE OVER SEXISM ROW

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