The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has announced its commitment to providing equal prize money for female tennis players at the Queen`s Club and Eastbourne tournaments, with the goal of achieving parity by 2029.
This upcoming week will feature women competing at the Queen`s Club for the first time in over 50 years. The inaugural HSBC Championships event is set to include notable players such as Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, and top-10 ranked athletes Madison Keys and Zheng Qinwen.
On Thursday, the LTA revealed that the total prize fund for the women`s tournament at Queen`s will be $1.415 million (approximately £1 million). This figure represents the highest prize money allocated for a WTA 500 event of its size this year.
However, this sum is still less than half of the prize money available for the corresponding men`s ATP tournament, which takes place the following week.
The prize money gap is even more significant at the Lexus Eastbourne Open, a combined WTA and ATP event held the week before Wimbledon, commencing on June 23. The women`s prize fund stands at $389,000 (around £287,000), substantially lower than the more than £630,000 offered to the men.
While major Grand Slam tournaments and some joint tour events already award equal prize money, compensation on the WTA Tour generally remains considerably less than on the ATP Tour.
The LTA expressed an ambition to reach prize money equality before the 2029 deadline. The organization`s reasoning for the timeline is set against the backdrop of a £4 million loss incurred from its grass-court events last year (excluding Wimbledon, which is managed by the All England Club). The men`s event at Queen`s was reported to be the only profitable tournament.
Scott Lloyd, the chief executive of the LTA, commented on the decision: “We are making significant increases this year to the women’s prize money at Queen’s and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible.”
He further added: “The LTA is committed to growing women’s tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level, and this move is an important part of that commitment.”
Lloyd also highlighted future plans: “This year fans will be able to enjoy both men’s and women’s tennis on the biggest stages that we can offer and we want to develop the tournaments so that the women’s events deliver a path to profitability and greater visibility for the sport.”
Regarding attendance, ticket sales for the women`s event at Queen`s are currently around 80%, whereas the men`s tournament is sold out. Interestingly, 55% of individuals purchasing tickets for the WTA event have been female.
Osaka, Pegula Withdraw from Queen`s
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and world No. 3 Jessica Pegula have withdrawn from the Queen`s tournament.
Pegula, who was the runner-up at the 2024 US Open and expected to be the highest-ranked player in the draw, pulled out along with Japan`s Osaka on Thursday.
Osaka, whose most recent major title was the 2021 Australian Open, was eliminated in the first round of the French Open last week by Paula Badosa.
Pegula reached the fourth round in Paris but was defeated by Lois Boisson during the French player`s impressive run to the semi-finals.
