WIMBLEDON RAISES TOTAL PRIZE MONEY BY 20% TO £64.2M

Wimbledon has announced a 20% increase in total prize money for this year's Championships, bringing the overall purse to £64.2m. The men's and women's singles champions will each receive £3.6m, up from £3m. First-round losers will collect £80,000, compared with £66,000 previously. More than £6m has been allocated to the qualifying competition, representing a 25% rise on the previous year.

The total prize fund has grown by £10.7m against a backdrop of players campaigning for a greater share of tournament revenue. A group of players had sought a figure closer to £71.7m and want all four Grand Slams to distribute 16% of their revenue in prize money, calculated by adding 5% to the previous year's revenue. The All England Club (AELTC) paid the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) £48.1m last year under an agreement distributing 90% of the annual surplus. AELTC executives reject the principle of linking prize money to revenue, arguing that a significant portion must be reinvested in the Championships.

The AELTC points to its record over the past decade, during which player prize money has more than doubled. The club also distributed £10m voluntarily to 620 players after the 2020 Championships were cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Discontent among players is not limited to Wimbledon; at the recent French Open, a 9.5% prize money increase prompted some players to restrict their pre-tournament media commitments to 15 minutes in protest. French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo said on Sunday that discussions with players would continue.