Wimbledon increases prize pot amid players' push for greater profit share
The Wimbledon prize money is set to be increased by seven percent to a record pot of 53.5 million pounds for this year. The men's and women's singles winners will receive 3 million pounds each, an increase of more than 11 per cent on 2024. Meanwhile, a main draw berth is worth a minimum of 66,000 pounds, which is a 10 percent hike.
The All England Club's announcement comes after growing player demands for a bigger share of revenue from the four majors. Also 20 leading players sent a letter in April to the heads of the Grand Slams, calling for greater contributions and discussions were held during the French Open.
All England Club chairwoman Debbie Jevans said at Wimbledon's pre-tournament media briefing on Thursday the club was "absolutely committed to continuing our longstanding commitment to player compensation".
"We're immensely proud of the fact that if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period (of 100 percent) and seven per cent this year," she said.
"We have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players. Of course we will always listen and discuss with them but the focus on just the prize money at 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 and we've always said that we as Wimbledon are willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions and that door remains open.
"As yet, there hasn't been any proposal to us as to how the tour is able to change its structure.
"There's a bigger picture here but, as a tennis player, they're always going to, I think, ask for more money."
In a major change at Wimbledon this year, line judges are being replaced by a live electronic calling system.
The All England Club follows the Australian Open and the US Open in implementing the change, though the French Open still uses human officials.
Around 80 former officials will be employed this year as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up should the electronic system fail. Wimbledon runs from June 30 to July 13, with Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova the defending champions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
40 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Scott's 'old-man par golf' has him in the hunt at US Open
Adam Scott finds himself sharing fourth at the US Open playing "old-man-par golf," and the 44-year-old Australian says he just might be playing well enough to capture another major title. Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major tournament, has fired back-to-back 70s in the first two rounds at Oakmont to stand on 140, three strokes behind leader Sam Burns and the only player at par or better with a major title. "I feel like this is what I've been working towards," Scott said. "I was kind of in the mix late at the PGA, and now putting myself in this one for the weekend it's a long way to go, but I feel like my game is in good enough shape to do this." World number 42 Scott became the first Aussie to win the Masters in 2013, beating Angel Cabrera in a playoff. The most recent of his 14 career PGA Tour titles was in 2020 at Riviera, although he was runner-up last year at the Scottish Open and BMW Championship. "Of course I'd like to win lots more tournaments, any of them, to be perfectly honest. I'd like to win something," Scott said. "I've put together a nice career, but I think another major more would really go a long way in fulfilling my own self, when it's all said and done. "This is all I'm really playing for are these big events. There's probably eight of them off the top of my mind a year that I really want to win." Asked how he would describe his career window to win a US Open, Scott said, "Ajar." Scott, whose major streak began with the 2001 British Open, has the second-longest run of major appearances after the record 146 by Jack Nicklaus 1962-1998. Scott admitted that his consistency at playing in majors might go underappreciated. "Maybe it does," he said. "But I'd be pretty proud of winning this thing on the weekend. That's really what I'm here to do." Scott said he has quietly been building confidence. "There has probably not been many signs to anyone else but me the last month or six weeks that my game is looking better, but I definitely feel more confident than I have been this year," Scott said. "For most of the first two days, I've been in the fairway off the tee, and therefore hasn't been too much stress in the rounds." While handfuls of contenders have charged only to fall by the wayside, Scott's old-man golf is keeping him in the hunt. "It's just hard out there," Scott said. "It's hard to keep it going when guys have got on a run. It seems like they've come back a bit." Heavy rain drenched the course on Friday night, likely making the firm and fast greens more receptive come the weekend. "The rain might keep it under control, hopefully, and spare us some frustrations," he said. js/bb
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Who is Johnny Miller? The golf great who made history with a 63 at 1973 Oakmont US Open
Oakmont Country Club, the quintessential US Open venue, is proving to be a brutal test of skill and resilience, with only a select few golfers making the best of the challenging situation. At the ongoing tournament, Sam Burns saw one of the best rounds of the year, when he registered a 5-under 65 to score a 3-under par through 36 holes in the second round. Notably, only two players in history have posted better scores in a round of the US Open at Oakmont. The first to do so was Johnny Miller (63) in 1973, followed by Loren Roberts (64) in 1974, according to Underdog Golf. This makes Burns the 10th player to shoot 65, putting him in the league of a select few golfers. Born in San Francisco, California in 1947, Miller is a renowned golf and considered one of the top players around the world. He played 412 events and won 25 PGA Tour tournaments, including two majors. He also bagged six international wins and emerged runner up in 16 events, while finishing at the third place in 10 and 60 times in top five, according to Miller joined the PGA Tour in 1969. During the US Open tournament in 1973, Miller came into the spotlight for shooting 63 in a major championship. This came after he saw two close calls back to back in 1971 (T-5) and 1972, when he finished at the seventh position. Also read: Sam Burns shoots 65 to get in the mix at U.S. Open After retiring from the sport, Miller remained the lead golf analyst in NBC for nearly 29 years between 1990 and 2019. Recently, Miller recalled the 'tip' that led to his 1973 US Open record. In an article for he stated that while he was warming up, a voice came into his head and said, 'Open your stance way up.' He immediately followed it and hit his last half-dozen balls straight. Eventually, he ended up hitting 13 of 14 fairways as well as all 18 greens in regulation. In the end, he tapped in for a 63, which is the lowest round in major championship history. As per reports, he currently resides in California's Monterey Peninsula. He finished as the runner-up three times in 1971, 1975 and 1981. Miller decided to quit golf to spend time with his family, including more than two dozen grandchildren.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
No.1 Scheffler, four-over, says don't count him out at US Open
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler endured a frustrating second round at the US Open, a harsh mental and physical challenge, but vows he's not out of the title hunt at Oakmont. Scheffler, coming off three wins in his past four starts including his third major at the PGA Championship, fired a one-over par 71 in Friday's second round to stand on four-over 144 for 36 holes. "Mentally this was as tough as I've battled for the whole day," Scheffler said. "There was a lot of stuff going on out there that was not going in my favor necessarily. "I felt like Teddy and I did a great job of battling, especially coming down the stretch." Scheffler said that he could have missed the cut with the struggles he faced but instead has himself within reach of victory with a weekend fightback. "With the way I was hitting it was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there," Scheffler said. "I don't think by any means I'm out of the tournament." Scheffler made five bogeys and four birdies in a roller coaster round. "I feel like I battled really hard. It's challenging out there," he said. "I was not getting the ball in the correct spots and paying the price for it. "Felt like me getting away with one-over today wasn't all that bad. It could have been a lot worse. "I anticipated to hit it better... any time you're not hitting it the way , or playing up to my expectations, I think it's frustrating." Scheffler won't be trying to impose his will upon Oakmont as he tries to mount a fightback. "I bounced back really well to a lot of the mistakes that I made," he said. "Forcing it around this place is probably not a good recipe to play too much good golf for me. "You've got to be hitting fairways, you've got to be hitting greens, and hopefully I'll be able to do that on the weekend." Rounds were dragging well beyond five hours with waits on certain holes a factor adding to the tension. "It felt long to me. Both the par-fives we basically walked up on the group in front of us," Scheffler said. "I'm just trying to play. I've got too many concerns other than the pace it takes to get around this place." Scheffler said the delays are not a shock. "With this many players and this tough of a golf course, it's going to take a while," he said. "That's a big piece of property. It just takes time to hit that many golf shots." js/rcw
