Prize money reduced for this year's Wimbledon

LONDON: Prize money for this year's Wimbledon will be a little over 35 million pounds ($49.4 million), a 5.2% reduction from 2019 when the grasscourt Grand Slam was last held, organizers said. Wimbledon was the only major to be cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will this year return in its usual slot with the main draw starting on June 28.

The singles champions will bear the maximum hit to their earnings and will pocket 1.7 million pounds, down from the 2.35 million they were paid in 2019.

"As in previous years, and particularly in this challenging year for tour players, the focus of distribution has been on supporting players in the early rounds of the tournament," organixers All England Club said in a statement.

"Only four players (finalists and semi-finalists) in each singles draw will receive prize money at a lower level than was awarded in 2019."

Players participating in the qualifiers will see a 17.5% increase in overall prize money allocation while the wheelchair and quad wheelchair events will also get a 17% boost.

Organizers also confirmed that the men's and women's singles finals will be played with full crowds of 15,000 in attendance on Centre Court, making it the first outdoor sporting event in the United Kingdom to have full capacity since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year. Agencies

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