ANDY Murray, the Scots tennis player, has joined the row over Wimbledon prize money by claiming female players do not deserve to earn as much as men.

Speaking on the eve of the championship, Murray, 19, said games were easier for women because on average they spend half the time on the court as men. He claimed most spectators turned up to see men play and were generally only interested in female players such as Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin.

Murray’s comments will add fuel to the row over the disparity between prize money for players — the winner of this year’s men’s singles tournament will pick up £655,000, compared with £625,000 for the ladies’ champion.

Last week, Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, wrote to the All England Club voicing her “deep concern” over the issue and claimed it tarnished the championship’s image.

“I don’t think it’s fair that the women get paid the same as the guys [in other tournaments],” said Murray. “Because if you look at it, the guys have the potential to play a five-and-a-half-hour match. A lot of women can win the first three or four rounds having dropped no more than four games. That doesn’t really happen in the men’s [tournament]. There are a lot of tough matches out there.

“I think the majority of people who come to watch during the first week of Wimbledon will be coming to watch one of the male matches. Obviously, when the big names like Sharapova and Henin come out, people will turn up to watch them but I just think there’s more interest at the start of the tournament [in the men] than there is for the women.”

Murray was at the centre of another row earlier this year when he said he and his opponent had “played like a woman”.

Last night, his comments were dismissed as “sexist” by Jo Durie, the former Wimbledon player and BBC tennis commentator.

“I don’t agree with his remarks at all,” she said. “Nowadays there are fewer easy matches for women and when I look at the men’s draw, I can see games where the players will spend hardly any time on court at all.”

However, Suzie Mair, a Scot who played in the 1984 tournament, agreed with the teenager. “Unless women play tournaments with five sets, I don’t see how they can demand to be paid the same, so I think Andy is right on this one.”

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