Wimbledon set a new prize money record for this year’s edition of tennis’ oldest Grand Slam event on Thursday, with the two singles winners receiving 2 million pounds (USD 2.5 million, 2.3 million euros).
The entire prize pool of 40.35 million pounds is up 11.1 percent from last year’s Championships, which saw capacity at the southwest London site limited due to Covid issues.
It’s also 5.4 percent higher than the previous regular edition of Wimbledon, which took place in 2019.
Following Wimbledon’s contentious decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there has been speculation that the ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s) circuits might remove ranking points, resulting in a decreased prize pool.
READ MORE: Rafael Nadal Gets Foot Treatment Before Wimbledon
However, organizers have increased the overall sum due to expecting large attendance and the fact that the game will be played on the middle Sunday for the first time.
Players knocked out in the first round of the singles will still get 50,000 pounds, while the runners-up in the finals will each receive over a million pounds.
Former world number one Naomi Osaka has threatened to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon due to the decision to remove ranking points from the event. Still, she has yet to declare whether she will miss the final of tennis’ four majors currently played on grass.
“From the first round of the qualifying competition to the champions being crowned, this year’s prize money distribution aims to reflect just how important the players are to The Championships as we look to continue to deliver one of the world’s leading sporting events,” said Ian Hewitt, chairman of Wimbledon organizers the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC).
Wimbledon begins on June 27, with Novak Djokovic defending his men’s singles championship, but no incumbent women’s champion after Ashleigh Barty of Australia withdrew in March.
