Wimbledon prize money revealed from first-round loss to winner with bosses giving out most cash EVER amid boycott fears
WIMBLEDON will dish out the biggest prize fund in their history to try to stop any top stars boycotting the grass-court tournament.
The men’s and women’s Wimbledon singles champions in 2022 will receive a cool £2million cheque from the All England Club.
And the total prize fund for the Championships, which start on Monday June 27, has been upped to a record £40.35million.
This is an increase of more than £5million on the fund on offer for the 2021 tournament, which financially reduced its money due to the impact of the Covid pandemic.
It is at the lower end where the benefits will also be felt with first-round losers getting a whopping £50,000 while there is £78,000 for those defeated in the second round.
Wimbledon bosses have increased the overall cash following the decision by ATP and WTA Tours to strip the event of its ranking points.
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This was in retaliation to Russian and Belarussian players being banned from competing at SW19 due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
During the French Open, players voiced their anger and disapproval that ranking points are not on offer for performances.
Some leading stars disrespectfully branded the SW19 event as a glorified “exhibition” while Naomi Osaka has threatened not to play.
Andy Murray, the two-time champion, came out in support, saying Wimbledon would never be an “exhibition” in his eyes – and the British public could not care less about ranking points.
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Serbian Novak Djokovic and Romanian Simona Halep earned an unprecedented £2.35million for their triumphs in 2019 but that figure was reduced to £1.7million 12 months ago.
The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the Covid crisis but £10.6million was paid in lieu of prize money to players who would have qualified for direct entry that year.
Wimbledon, which celebrates the centenary of Centre Court, will host play on the Middle Sunday for the first time in a permanent capacity, bringing it in line with the other three majors.
Ian Hewitt, Chairman of the All England Club, said: “From the first round of the qualifying competition to the champions being crowned, this year’s prize money distribution aims to reflect just how important the players are to The Championships.
“We look to continue to deliver one of the world’s leading sporting events, and with a particularly special tournament ahead of us as we celebrate 100 years of Centre Court on Church Road.”