WTA plans equal prize money to match men at combined higher-tiered tennis events
These days, equal prize money is given to the men and women at the well-known grand slam events, the highest tier in tennis: The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. It was a prolonged effort to get to that point, with the US Open becoming the first, in 1973, and Wimbledon becoming the last major to do so, in 2007.
But in other combined high-tier tennis tournaments, the prize money has not been equal, with the men competing on the ATP Tour (short for the Association of Tennis Professionals) earning more than the women.
The Women’s Tennis Association, the governing body of women’s tennis, announced Tuesday a strategy to tackle pay inequity between the men and the women. The WTA plans to update the tour’s calendar and revamp prize money, with WTA 1000 and 500 combined events attaining equal prize money by 2027 and to have equal prize money for single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events by 2033.
“Fifty years after the players found strength in unity, I’m proud the WTA continues to be a global leader focused on providing opportunities, and hope that women in other sports and walks of life are inspired by its example,” tennis great and WTA founding member Billie Jean King said in a press release.
Currently, the differences in pay can be vast in the sport between the men and women. For example, at Indian Wells in California, an ATP Masters 1000 event for the men and a WTA 1000 event for the women, the men’s singles prize pool this year was just over $10.1 million. For women’s singles, it was $8.8 million.
Meanwhile, at the same-level event in Rome last month, the total prize pool for men’s singles was around €8.6 million, while the women’s singles prize money pool was a little more than €3.5 million.
The updated calendar will increase the number of WTA 1000 tournaments to 10, and Beijing (in 2024), Cincinnati and Toronto/Montreal (2025) will transition to two weeks instead of one week in length. The additional WTA 1000 events will be one-week events in Doha, Dubai and a yet-to-be-named event, according to the WTA release.
Sloane Stephens, a member of the players’ council, said: “Every generation contributes to preserving the future of their sport, striving to leave it in a better state for the next. I take pride in being a part of this evolution and fully support the WTA’s commitment to progress.”
The WTA says the 2024 calendar will be finalized and announced in the coming months.
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