The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) made an announcement on June 27, Tuesday, about bringing a new calendar structure in a bid to hand out equal prize money at their top-tier events starting in 2027. The WTA had to persevere for decades to ensure that all four Grand Slam tournaments agree to pay equal prize money to both female and male players.
To create a “pathway to equal prize money,” the WTA, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, has decided to tweak the tour calendar for women’s tennis. They will increase the number of WTA 1000 events to 10 while transitioning a few of them to two weeks in length. Furthermore, the number of the WTA 500 events will be increased to 17 and the WTA 500 will have a stronger regional focus.
This will lead to the WTA 1000 and 500 combined events reaching equal prize money by 2027, while the WTA 1000 and 500 single-week events will have pay parity by 2033.
The founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, Billie Jean King, one of the greatest tennis players in the world, talked about how the organisation is leading the charge for women in sport. She said, “Fifty years after the players found strength in unity, I’m proud the WTA continues to be a global leader focused on providing opportunities, and hope that women in other sports and walks of life are inspired by its example.”
Sloane Stephens, the women’s tennis star and a member of the Players’ Council since 2019, talked about the latest WTA development. She was quoted as saying, “Every generation contributes to preserving the future of their sport, striving to leave it in a better state for the next. I take pride in being a part of this evolution and fully support the WTA's commitment to progress.”
