Do Female US Open Winners Get a Smaller Trophy Than Male Winners? Controversial Policy & Latest Update Explained

Remember how Coco Gauff was taken aback earlier this year when she got the replica of the Suzanne Lenglen trophy after winning her maiden French Open title? “I honestly did not know the size it was going to be… I know you never really take the original, but when I won the U.S. Open, they gave me the same size (trophy), with my name engraved on it,” she reacted while adding, “I just assumed that Roland Garros would be the same.” But guess what? While Gauff was elated at how tall her replica trophy for the US Open was after she won at Flushing Meadows two years ago, it wasn’t always the case.

Are the men’s and women’s US Open trophies different?

Before the 2023 edition, the setup was completely different. In 1987, the tradition of offering the keepsakes at Flushing Meadows was first introduced. Until 2022, women’s singles champions actually used to receive just a 12-inch-tall copy of their original winner’s trophies. And the men’s singles champions used to receive a 19 1/2-inch-tall replica.

What does the latest update say about this policy?

A massive policy change was finally introduced ahead of the 2023 edition. The U.S. Tennis Association asked Tiffany & Co. to design replicas for the women to finally match the size of what the men are allowed to keep. That is, the size was increased to 19 1/2 inches for the women’s singles winners too. The revolutionary change also coincided with the event’s 1973 decision, marking 50 years, to offer equal prize money for both the men’s and women’s singles champions. It happened following the efforts of the WTA icon Billie Jean King.

NEW YORK, USA: September 9: Coco Gauff of the United States lifts the winners’ trophy received from Billie Jean King after her victory against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the Women’s Singles Final on Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open Tennis Championship 2023 at the USTA National Tennis Centre on September 9th, 2023 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

“Equality is in our DNA here at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Everything we do, we’re very intentional about equality … and we wanted to do the same as it relates to the champion’s trophies,” said the US Open director Stacey Allaster.

“We had a very robust conversation: Should we recreate a new women’s singles champion’s trophy? In the end, we made the decision to stay with history and to not change the trophy itself, but to ensure that the replica trophy was of the same size as the men’s,” she added.

How does the US Open ensure gender equality beyond trophies?

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, during the 2023 US Open edition, revealed how she was working on ensuring gender equality. And it was a greater purpose. In an essay published on the official website of the event, she wrote, “I introduced the Women in NCAA Sports (WINS) Act, bipartisan legislation that addresses and promotes fairness for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s sports programming.”

She even helped in passing the Equal Pay for Team USA Act. It was signed into law, stating that “all athletes representing the United States in global amateur athletic competitions receive equal compensation and benefits in their sport, irrespective of gender.”

For the latest updates on the action from Flushing Meadows, don’t forget to follow our live US Open blog.

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