Wimbledon increases prize money by seven per cent to £53.5m

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

The All England Club's announcement comes amid growing player demands for a bigger share of grand slam profits.
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In April, 20 leading players sent a letter to the heads of the four majors calling for greater contributions and discussions were held at a meeting during the French Open.
At Wimbledon's pre-tournament media briefing, chair Debbie Jevans said: 'We are absolutely committed to continuing our long-standing 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 per cent) and seven per cent this year.
'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.
Last year's men's champion Carlos Alcaraz won £2.7million (Mike Egerton/PA)
'There's a bigger picture here but, as a tennis player, they're always going to, I think, ask for more money.'
Two big changes at this year's tournament – which starts on June 30 – had previously been announced, with the singles finals moving from 2pm starts on the final weekend to 4pm, while line judges are being replaced by a live electronic calling system.
The latter decision follows a move within the wider sport, although the French Open has resisted change and this year's event was again held with line calls decided purely by human officials.
Wimbledon's removal of line judges was met with dismay by many and the All England Club revealed around 80 former officials would 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.
Behind the scenes, Wimbledon's biggest project remains the planned expansion into neighbouring Wimbledon Park, which would add a further 39 grass courts but is currently mired in legal challenges.
Line judges are a thing of the past at Wimbledon (Steven Paston/PA)
Although planning permission has been granted, a local protest group has brought a judicial review, which will be heard at the High Court on July 8 and 9 during the second week of the tournament.
A hearing into whether there is a statutory trust on the land will be heard in January 2026, further delaying the project, plans for which were first submitted in 2021.
Wimbledon, meanwhile, will continue to provide support for Ukrainian players in terms of practice facilities and accommodation.