"How in the hell is this justified?" - Tennis fans fume over Novak Djokovic earning far higher than fellow champion Coco Gauff at Cincinnati Open

Novak Djokovic earned more than double the prize money of women's winner Coco Gauff at the 2023 Cincinnati Open. The disparity in prize money has enraged several tennis fans, who have expressed their opinion on social media.

Djokovic was a part of one of the most memorable matches in recent times as he saved a match point to beat World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the Cincinnati final on Sunday. The match lasted almost four hours, and the veteran emerged victorious 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) for his first title on American soil in two years.

Coco Gauff, on the other hand, won her second WTA title of the month as she defeated Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 to lift the trophy in Cincinnati. The American stunned World No. 1 and top seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals prior to that.

A recent tweet (by tennis journalist Myles David) highlighted the pay gap between the men's winner and the women's winner, with Djokovic earning ($1,019,335) more than double what Gauff stood to make ($454,500).

In response, several tennis fans called out the organizers involved in the situation. One fan said the disparity was not justified given that both players had put in just as much work to win the title.

"How in the h*ll is this even justified at this point?!? How has this not been rectified?!? Yes, the number of sets varies, but the amount of work it takes to play, let alone win, is the same!"

Another user called for an end to the disparity as it was "bad for tennis."

"FU**ING bulls*it. This has got to stop. It's what they call "bad for tennis."

Another fan called the pay disparity between the women's and women's champions "unacceptable."

"This is totally unacceptable!"

Below are a few more fan reactions:

"Definitely one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life" - Novak Djokovic on beating Carlos Alcaraz to win the Cincinnati Open 2023

Cincinnati Tennis

Novak Djokovic played Carlos Alcaraz for the third time this year at the Cincinnati Open. The duo first met in the semifinals of the French Open, which was won by the Serb. But in the final of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Alcaraz stunned the tennis world by beating the four-time defending champion.

At Cincinnati, Djokovic rallied from a set down to beat the Spaniard for the second time in his career. Their head-to-head stands at 2-2 at the moment.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner reflected on his victory in his on-court interview, labeling it "one of the toughest matches" he had ever played in his life.

“Crazy. Honestly, I don't know what else I can say. Tough to describe. Definitely one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life, regardless what tournament, what category, what level, what player. It's unbelievable,” the Serb said.