Prize money increases at this year’s Wimbledon tennis championships will be offset by the weakness of sterling against the euro and the US dollar.
Reuters reports that the prize money is going up by 6.2 per cent to £12.6 million, with the winners of the men’s and women’s singles competitions receiving £850,000 each, a 13-per-cent increase.
Club chairman Tim Phillips said, “Most of the players here don’t bank in sterling.
“We have to be mindful of the fact that a year ago it was two dollars to the pound and now it’s less than one pound fifty.
“The increased prize money is also slanted towards the right-hand side of the draw because it is the big-name players that help to drive the tournament forward.”
Reuters reports that Phillips also announced the spectator capacity at Wimbledon would rise from 36,000 to 40,000, and that ticket applications were up 20 per cent this year.
