Men and women will receive equal prize money at all combined WTA 1,000 events from next year, the Women's Tennis Association has announced. Events at Indian Wells, California, Miami, Madrid and Beijing already met that commitment, as well as all four Grand Slams. However, the Italian Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open will now also fall into line to meet a long-standing aim of the WTA. In 2023, Italian Open organisers had vowed to have equal prize money from 2025 but did not follow through. The total men's prize money this year in Rome was £7.3m while the women received £6.3m.
"Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1,000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis," said WTA chair Valerie Camillo. "It demonstrates the WTA's continued commitment to leading the sports industry in delivering our athletes competitive and financial equality."
The WTA has also announced adjustments to the calendar, including a reduction from six to four in the number of WTA 500-level tournaments players ranked inside the top 50 are mandated to play. It will also allow players to replace one eligible WTA 1,000 result with a stronger WTA 500 or 250 result. American world number three Jessica Pegula said: "The 2027 changes give us more ability to build our seasons around our own goals - competitively and personally."
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing