Johannesburg: After the French Open announced an increase in its prize money for its champions, the oldest Grand Slam tournament, Wimbledon, has also declared a hike by 10 percent from this year.
The men’s and women’s singles winners in the third major of the season will now receive 2.2 million pounds in prize money– a hike of 200,000 pounds.
Last year, world number ones Andy Murray and Serena Williams gained two million pounds for clinching the silverware in the men’s and women’s singles events respectively at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
In addition, Wimbledon has also made notable increments of about 12.5 percent to its total prize money for the tournament,Sport24 reported.
As a result, the players making the first-round exit are expected to earn 35,000 pounds in prize money.
Announcing the news, All England Club chairman Philip Brook said, “We are proud of the important leadership role that Wimbledon plays locally, nationally and internationally, and are committed to continuing to secure the future of the Championships, and of our sport, for years to come.”
Despite the hike, the Wimbledon winners will still earn less than last year’s singles champions of the US Open, who pocketed 2.7 million pounds in prize money.
This year’s Wimbledon will get underway on July 3 and runs until July 16.