<p class="title">Serena Williams and other prominent American tennis players of past and present on Friday expressed support for a lawsuit filed by the US women's national football team against their federation that alleges gender discrimination in wages and conditions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All 28 members of the United States squad were named as plaintiffs in federal court in Los Angeles on International Women's Day.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Serena said pioneers in her sport stood up for pay equality in the 1970s and that the time may be right for football to level its playing field.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The pay discrepancy is ludicrous," the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion told reporters after her second-round victory at the BNP Paribas Open.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's a battle, it's a fight," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I think at some point, in every sport, you have to have those pioneers and maybe it's time for soccer," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm playing because someone else stood up and so what they are doing right now is hopefully for the future of women's football."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The best known of those pioneers, Bille Jean King, also welcomed the lawsuit while attending the tournament in the Southern California desert.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"What better day than International Women's Day for this lawsuit," the 75-year-old, who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, posted on Twitter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Sports are a microcosm of society. What is happening with the USWNT is happening in the workplace. The time has come to give these athletes what they deserve: equality."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The work of King and her allies resulted in equal prize money for women and men at all four Grand Slams in 2007 when Wimbledon fell in line.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The issue still occasionally surfaces, however, and Indian Wells tournament chief Raymond Moore quit under a cloud in 2016 after saying women's tennis rode "on the coat-tails of the men".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens also sent her encouragement to the football team on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I think there should be equal pay across the board for everyone, male or female," the world number four said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"But I'm happy for them. I hope they win."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The thrust of Friday's lawsuit was that the women had consistently been paid less money than their male counterparts even though their performance had been superior.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US won the 2015 women's World Cup, a title they will defend in France in June, while the men failed to qualify for the last edition of FIFA's showpiece event in Russia in 2018.</p>
<p class="title">Serena Williams and other prominent American tennis players of past and present on Friday expressed support for a lawsuit filed by the US women's national football team against their federation that alleges gender discrimination in wages and conditions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All 28 members of the United States squad were named as plaintiffs in federal court in Los Angeles on International Women's Day.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Serena said pioneers in her sport stood up for pay equality in the 1970s and that the time may be right for football to level its playing field.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The pay discrepancy is ludicrous," the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion told reporters after her second-round victory at the BNP Paribas Open.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's a battle, it's a fight," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I think at some point, in every sport, you have to have those pioneers and maybe it's time for soccer," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm playing because someone else stood up and so what they are doing right now is hopefully for the future of women's football."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The best known of those pioneers, Bille Jean King, also welcomed the lawsuit while attending the tournament in the Southern California desert.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"What better day than International Women's Day for this lawsuit," the 75-year-old, who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, posted on Twitter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Sports are a microcosm of society. What is happening with the USWNT is happening in the workplace. The time has come to give these athletes what they deserve: equality."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The work of King and her allies resulted in equal prize money for women and men at all four Grand Slams in 2007 when Wimbledon fell in line.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The issue still occasionally surfaces, however, and Indian Wells tournament chief Raymond Moore quit under a cloud in 2016 after saying women's tennis rode "on the coat-tails of the men".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens also sent her encouragement to the football team on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I think there should be equal pay across the board for everyone, male or female," the world number four said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"But I'm happy for them. I hope they win."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The thrust of Friday's lawsuit was that the women had consistently been paid less money than their male counterparts even though their performance had been superior.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US won the 2015 women's World Cup, a title they will defend in France in June, while the men failed to qualify for the last edition of FIFA's showpiece event in Russia in 2018.</p>