- Queen’s will host its maiden WTA 500 tournament from June 7 in west London
- Eastbourne has been downgraded in its wake but will receive the prize boost
- April saw Charleston Open announce equal prize money for next year’s event
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have announced that the WTA events at Queen’s and Eastbourne will receive equal prize money no later than 2029, with both tournaments receiving an immediate financial uptick on the eve of the British grass-court season.
The newly minted WTA 500 event at The Queen’s Club is set to rise to a record £1.04million ($1.415m), while Eastbourne – which was downgraded to a 250 event as a consequence to re-staging the women’s event in west London – will see prize money climb to £286,471 ($389,000).
Both events will now offer the highest prize pot for equivalent event and draw sizes on the international tour, in a move that aims to establish the organisation as a world-leader in the growth and development of women’s tennis.
But parity remains some way off, with men’s players at Queen’s set to rake in £2.12m (€2.5m) in two weeks’ time – almost double the prize money afforded to women’s players despite the sizeable increase.
At Eastbourne, the total purse is £637,00, with both prize pots meeting the ATP tour-level standard for a 250. In stark contrast, the WTA minimum is £207,149.
The LTA were keen to stress that they aim to beat the timeline rather than merely meet it, but underscored that the organisation makes a net £4m loss on the tournaments hosted during the British grass swing, with the men’s Championship at Queen’s the sole profitable event.
The LTA have announced their commitment to equal prize money for their men and women’s tournaments but this year’s WTA prize pot remains some way off the ATP’s
The WTA 500 event is set to feature boldfaced names like US Open winner Emma Raducanu
Ticket sales for Eastbourne remain robust despite its downgrading (last year’s winner Daria Kasatkina pictured)
Interest in the new tournament in Barons Court, which is set to feature boldfaced names like Emma Raducanu, has been sizable, with over 50,000 tickets sold and the event at 80 per cent capacity with days to go before the first round on Monday.
With Eastbourne all but level with its ticket sales last year despite the downgrade of the tournament’s status, the LTA are confident in the event’s future profitability in terms of drawing new fans to the sport.
A more diverse fanbase is also expected at Queen’s, with 55 per cent of tickets sold to women, compared to 49 per cent for the men’s tournament a week later.
The organisation’s announcement has been lauded by WTA chief executive Portia Archer, who claimed that the move ‘sends a powerful message that the women’s game is valued’.
The women’s tour are chasing their own bid for financial parity, seeking full equality with the ATP by 2033, with combined WTA-ATP events targeting the bid to offer equal prize money in 2027.
Fellow WTA 500 event the Charleston Open committed to equal prize money with their ATP event in 2026 in April of this year.
