LONDON (AP) — Amid players' calls for a bigger share of revenues, Wimbledon on Thursday announced 20% increases in total prize money and for the singles champions, who will earn 3.6 million pounds ($4.8 million) each at the grass-court Grand Slam next month.
The total prize money including player per diems will be 64.2 million pounds ($85.8 million), described as “by far” the biggest annual increase in the tournament's history.
“I would hope the players would welcome it. It’s a significant amount of money,” All England Club chair Deborah Jevans said at a press conference.
“We’ve demonstrated that we’ve looked at every round, including qualifying. My hope is that the players do recognize what a significant increase that this is."
Players have long been calling for a greater share of revenues from the four Grand Slams and recently began taking steps toward collective action.
For this year’s Wimbledon, players advocated for total prize money of 71 million pounds ($95 million), Jevans said, citing her recent talks in Paris with Larry Scott, the former WTA CEO who has been advising the players.
Ahead of the French Open, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said players should at some point organize a boycott if their demands aren’t met. Men's No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff and others also spoke out.
Then, in pre-tournament news conferences at Roland Garros, top-10 players limited their sessions with journalists to 15 minutes in symbolic protest of their share of the tournament revenues.
Just over a year ago, 20 leading players signed a letter to the heads of the four Grand Slams seeking more prize money and a greater voice in decision making.
Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tournament, begins June 29. Iga Swiatek is the women's defending champion. Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in last year's men's final and the Spaniard will miss the event because of a wrist injury.
First-round prize money this year will be 80,000 pounds ($107,000), which is a 21% increase over 2024, and the qualifying rounds will see a total increase of 25%.
The runner-up in the men's and women's singles will get 1.8 million pounds ($2.4 million) each. That's an 18% increase over last year.
Jevans added: “This announcement recognizes the success of The Championships, and that we operate a sustainable program that allows us not only to increase prize money but also to invest in facilities, the grass court season and support British and international tennis."
Wimbledon profits also support grassroots tennis
Increasing prize money is a balancing act because 90% of any distributable financial surplus from Wimbledon goes to the Lawn Tennis Association, which is Britain’s governing body for tennis and padel.
The LTA works to increase participation in the sport, renovate courts, support elite player development, and run grass-court tournaments in the buildup to Wimbledon.
For calendar year 2025, the LTA reported a 4% decrease in the Wimbledon surplus (48.6 million pounds or $65 million) compared to 2024, though the LTA’s total revenue was up 2% — in part, it said, because of the introduction of a women’s tour event at Queen’s Club.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
