Wimbledon has increased its championship prize money this year to £53.5 million ($7,259 million), up 7% in 2024, doubling what was offered 10 years ago.
The singles champions each receive £3 million ($4.07 million), the highest in all Grand Slams, with an 11.1% increase in the prize money Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krezikova returned home last year.
Single players who lost in the first round will be £66,000, up 10% in 2024. Doubled prizes increased by 4.4%, doubled to 4.3%, and wheelchair and quad wheelchair events increased by 5.6%.
This increase comes after the world’s top players sought substantial improvements in prize money in four grand slams as a way to ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue.
“We’ve been listening to the players. We worked with the players,” said Deborah Jevance, chairman of AELTC. “But we don’t get to the center of what the challenges are with tennis, as we focus solely on prize money in the four events, Grand Slams.
“The challenge with tennis is the fact that players don’t have an offseason, and they want it. They’re increasing the number of injuries they’re talking about.”
Jevans is willing to be involved with the tour to try and find a solution, but there was no suggestion as to how the tour could change its structure.
Last at 4pm
AELTC said the doubles finals on July 12th and 13th will start at local time (8am) with the singles final at 4pm
If the Singles Final runs long at night, it could change the playing conditions, such as closing the roof and turning on the lights.
The French Open Men’s Final Sunday, when Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner, lasted five hours and 29 minutes, but AELTC CEO Sally Bolton said that the timing change guarantees a “improved experience” for everyone.
“Whether it’s a doubles finalist with greater certainty than their schedule. Whether it’s a fan with the opportunity to experience a day building up in a single final crescendo, or whether it’s a guarantee that our champions are crowned in front of the widest audience possible,” she said.
There are no line judges
This year’s championship also takes a break in traditional tradition as line judges will be replaced for the first time by the electronic line call system introduced in tournaments around the world.
“Time is right to move on,” Bolton said, adding that many line judges have returned in different roles as match assistants, with the two being assigned to each court.
“They’re the extra eyes and ears, the umpire assistants in the chair… We have about 80 throughout the championship,” Bolton said. “They also provide one of our resilience if our electronic line calling system goes down at any time.”