Wimbledon Announces Record 20% Prize-Money Increase Amid Player Dispute

^{All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, London}

Wimbledon organisers have announced a record rise in total prize money, taking the prize fund to £64.2m, or about €74.4m, The Guardian reported. The total is up 20% on last year.

The increase amounts to £10.7m, or about €12.4m.

However, the move is unlikely to resolve a dispute between leading players and the Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Players have been pressing for more than a year for the four tournaments to devote a larger share of their revenue to prize money.

According to the players, even after the increase, Wimbledon’s prize money will account for about 15% of the tournament’s revenue. They had been seeking a 16% revenue share. For Wimbledon, that would have meant a prize fund of just over £70m, or about €81.1m. The announced figure is therefore almost £6m, or about €7m, below their target.

The players’ concerns are not limited to prize money for champions and finalists. They also want the Grand Slam tournaments to invest more in player support programmes, including medical care, recovery, working conditions at tournaments and support for players outside the top ranks. In addition, they are calling for a separate players’ council at Grand Slam level so that athletes can formally take part in discussions on key decisions.

The dispute escalated earlier at Roland Garros, where some players limited their media duties to about 15 minutes — a reference to the 15% of revenue they believe the tournaments currently allocate to prize money.