New Delhi: In a major move, Wimbledon has increased its prize money for this year’s campaign to 53.5 million pounds ($72.59 million). It is a sharp seven percent increase on 2024 and double what they offered a decade ago, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said on Thursday.
The singles champions will bank three million pounds each, an 11.1 per cent increase on what Carlos Alcaraz and Barbara Krejcikova received last year. It is also the highest prize money across all Grand Slams.
Singles players who get eliminated in the first round will get 66,000 pounds, which is a 10 percent increase on last year. The doubles prize money has also been increased by 4.4 percent, mixed doubles by 4.3 and the wheelchair and quad wheelchair events by 5.6%.
The increase in prize money comes after the world’s top players called for significant improvements in the numbers at the four Grand Slams as a way to ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue. Wimbledon, in addition to the US Open, French Open and Australian Open, offer equal prize money for male and female players. AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said that they have listened to the players and have engaged with the players.
“But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the Grand Slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis. The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don’t have an off-season which they want, they have increasing injuries that they’re speaking about” she added.
No line judges in Wimbledon
For the first time in the history of the tournament, the line judges will be replaced with the electronic line calling system that is in place at tournaments worldwide.
“They’re extra eyes and ears, the assistant to the chair umpire. We’ve got about 80 of those across the Championships. They’ll also provide one of the parts of our resilience in the event that the electronic line calling system goes down at any point in time,” said AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton.
The Wimbledon will begin on June 30 and end on July 13.
Wimbledon has increased its total prize money by 7 percent to a record 53.5 million pounds this year. The tournament is set to begin on June 30. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
