Wimbledon increases purse by 20%, but still shy of players' demands

Players will be competing for a share of a record $86 million tournament purse at Wimbledon, which opens June 29 in London.

Tournament organizers announced the amount on Thursday. The increased total puts the Wimbledon prize money slightly ahead of the U.S. Open purse.

The new prize money is a 20% increase from 2025, but still not what the players have been seeking.

They want 22% of tournament revenues at the Grand Slam events by 2030 at the latest. Under the calculations of the players, the Wimbledon purse should be about $93.5 million this year, Front Office Sports reported Thursday.

"This announcement recognises the success of The Championships, and that we operate a sustainable programme that allows us not only to increase prize money, but also to invest in facilities, the grass court season and support British and international tennis," Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans said in a news release.

"We are clear that as Wimbledon grows, the players will continue to share in that success."

At the recently concluded French Open in Paris, players united to express their displeasure over tournament pay and limited their media appearances as a form of protest. French Open organizers raised the purse by 9.5%, but the new amount still was only 15% of the revenues, Front Office Sports reported.

At Wimbledon, men's and women's singles champions will earn about $4.8 million each. The money earmarked for qualifying rose 25% to nearly $8.3 million.

Jevans, at a news conference, said she hopes the increase satisfies the players.

"I believe what we have done is right and appropriate so I would hope the players would welcome it. It's a significant amount of money," she said.

According to the news release, players have seen a substantial increase in pay over the past decade. Singles champions prize money is up by 80%, first-round allocation has risen by 160% and prize money for qualifying has grown by 393%.

--Field Level Media