It was exactly half a century ago when, in 1973, the US Open became the first Major to announce equal prize money for men and women players. This pioneering event that led to the equality of prize money in sports had put sexism to the backseat. In a fitting finale, just one month later, Billie Jean King, who had strongly lobbied for it, famously won the ‘Battle of Sexes’ in Houston as if to prove a point.
However, it was a long haul for equal prize money at all four Grand Slams. It was only in 2007, exactly 34 years later, that Wimbledon made the decision to dole out equal money in the men’s and women’s draws, the last of the Majors to do so. In its defiance earlier, Wimbledon had argued that men’s tennis had drawn more audiences and was a best-of-five set as compared to women’s best-of-three sets.
A look at Wimbledon 2023 prize money- How much do the champions get?
In its tryst to create a legacy, Wimbledon in 2007 also became the richest tennis tournament in the world, showering the highest prize money to both men’s and women’s singles champions £700,000 each. The singles champion in 2007, Venus Williams, said, “The greatest tennis tournament in the world has reached an even greater height. I applaud this decision, which recognizes the value of women’s tennis.”
Wimbledon prize money has had a steep climb over the years, in its effort to cope with inflation and peer pressure from its grand rivals. As per reports, the total prize money on offer at Wimbledon 2023 is a whopping £44.7 million ($59 million) across all categories and rounds. Out of this, close to 10% goes to the singles’ champions, with both men’s and women’s champions exactly pocketing £2.35 million ($3 million) each.
This is around a 10% increase in prize money when compared to last year’s Championships. In the doubles category, both men’s and women’s winners get £600,000 ($785,460), respectively, and the mixed doubles champions get £128,000 ($167,565). It is to be noted that prize money had come down in the post-COVID year, i.e., 2021, and the increase is to bring it to similar levels as that of pre-COVID years.
We cannot end without giving a rich tribute to Billie Jean King, who at 79 years old is still a very prominent women’s sports activist, one who not only won the ‘Battle of Sexes’ as the only woman, creating history, but also the right of women to get equal pay in sports. The trailblazer, who won 39 Grand Slams (all categories) and was co-founder of the WTA, said, “It’s not about the money, It’s about the equality message.”
