‘They [women] deserve it. They also deserve it on the WTA Tour… I know they’re lagging a little bit. That would be nice to see it going up,’ Federer said.

Roger Federer has joined Serena Williams in calling for equal prize money in men and women’s tennis

While the prize money for male and female players at grand slam events are the same, it is not the case in other Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association tournaments. Federer is pictured with mixed doubles partner Belinda Bencic

‘If we can help, great. Sometimes maybe the men’s game is a bit more popular, sometimes the women’s game.

‘I think we should always help each other as players regardless of who’s more popular at the moment.’

Last week, Williams said ‘uncomfortable’ public conversations were necessary to achieve equality when it came to prize money. At some events, women can receive less than half than their male counterparts.

‘For change to really be made, men and women have to work together, they have to have the same message, they have to support each other,’ Williams said.

Federer and Williams share a moment on stage at the Hopman Cup New Years Eve Gala dinner

‘If we can help, great. Sometimes maybe the men’s game is a bit more popular, sometimes the women’s game,’ Federer said

‘As many people as we can get to support us, that’s what it’s going to take.

‘We still are fighting for equal prize money at all events across the board. I think that’s something that we’re going to continue to do, continue to fight for.’

World number two Rafael Nadal reluctantly joined the debate, saying female players should win more prize money than men if they sell more tickets to tournaments.

‘Is not about equal or not equal prize money. I don’t care if they win more than us, that’s the real thing,’ he said after cruising to the quarter finals on Sunday.

‘If they sell more tickets, they deserve to more than us. That’s very easy to understand. It’s not about being male or women. Doesn’t matter. We are the same.’

World number two Rafael Nadal (pictured with partner Maria Francisca Perello) reluctantly joined the debate, saying female players should win more prize money than men if they sell more tickets to tournaments

Nadal (pictured with Serena Willaims) was reluctant to talk about gender issues in the sport, but stressed that men and women were the same and pay should be determined by crowd size

Nadal then dodged a question about whether the ATP and WTA tours should be merged into a tour of both 𝑠e𝑥es, saying the press should ask organisers.

‘I don’t know. I don’t have the whole information to know if that stronger product or not stronger product. Who knows? You need to make an analysis,’ he said.

However, he then went on to explain that he didn’t like to talk about gender issues because they often got anyone who made a comment into trouble.

‘[It is] a very [sensitive] thing today in this world talking about men or women. At this moment you even can’t have an opinion, because anything that you say is going against you,’ he said.

‘I will not be the one that I going to tell you anything in this moment, you know?’

The Swiss champion weighed in on the debate after he crashed out of the Australian Open on Sunday night when he lost to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (pictured)