LTA commits to introducing equal prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne by 2029

Women will play at Queen's Club next week for the first time in more than 50 years at the inaugural HSBC Championships, featuring the likes of Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and top-10 stars Madison Keys and Zheng Qinwen.
The LTA announced on Thursday it would pay total prize money of 1.415million US dollars (approximately £1m), the highest for a WTA 500 event of its draw size this year.
But that is still less than half of the prize pot that will be paid out to the male players the following week for the equivalent tournament on the ATP Tour.
At the Lexus Eastbourne Open, a joint WTA and ATP event staged the week before Wimbledon beginning on June 23, the difference is even starker, with the women's prize fund of 389,000 US dollars (approximately £287,000) significantly inferior to the more than £630,000 that will be paid to the men.
While prize money is equal at the grand slams and some joint tour events, generally remuneration on the WTA Tour is substantially lower than the ATP.
The LTA stated an aim to achieve parity before 2029 but its rationale comes against a £4million loss made across the grass-court events it staged last year – Wimbledon is run by the All England Club – with the men's event at Queen's the only profitable tournament.
Scott Lloyd, the governing body's chief executive, said: 'We are making significant increases this year to the women's prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible.
'The LTA is committed to growing women's tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level, and this move is an important part of that commitment.
'This year fans will be able to enjoy both men's and women's tennis on the biggest stages that we can offer and we want to develop the tournaments so that the women's events deliver a path to profitability and greater visibility for the sport.'
Ticket sales for the women's event at Queen's are currently around 80 per cent, with the men's tournament sold out, while 55 per cent of those purchasing WTA tickets have been female.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

BBC News

8 minutes ago

• BBC News

The Stevenage tennis player who is Taiwan's No.1

As the build-up to Wimbledon intensifies, inevitably a lot of the focus will fall on British Garland could have been one of the 23-year-old from Stevenage has chosen to play for Taiwan and is now the country's number one female tennis family moved there during her childhood before returning to Hertfordshire, and her mother is from the east Asian is no surprise then that Garland feels "a very strong connection" to Taiwan, a country that has supported her throughout her career."There was a period when I was questioning it," she told BBC Look East. "I was getting close to Grand Slam qualifiers, a potential wildcard for Wimbledon and I was torn about what to do."I saw Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal going to Wimbledon as British players thinking it doesn't get any better. So, I was questioning it."But playing for Taiwan is why I have had success. It was my childhood and some of the most important years of my life were in Taiwan. "I have a strong connection to the people, the coaches, and they were a big part of my life. I owe it to them." Sharing with cockroaches and mosquitos Garland was first taught tennis by her father John - who is a professional coach - when she was four years old. She reached a career high of 14 as a junior and turned professional in she was 14, she has been travelling to tournaments by herself, booking flights and organising her own schedule."I'm quite good at organising myself," she said."My mum, dad and grandmother have been so supportive. They never said no to anything that could have helped me – such as playing a tournament in Malaysia on my own. They backed me but they don't come and watch."It means that life on tour can get "very lonely" and accommodation as players aim to climb the rankings can be far from glamourous."You don't get picked up from the airport, free meals, or five-star hotels," Garland added. "The practice balls are dog balls. You question if you are capable. "I remember some of the dorms I stayed in, there was cockroaches and mosquitos, I don't think I slept."Anyone who's played tennis would have been there to try to win their first ranking points. These are the experiences that make this journey." Making her Grand Slam debut Garland's early years on tour have been beset by injuries, with her ranking falling to 551 at the end of last 2025 has been her best year yet. Her Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking has risen to 144, external thanks to winning four International Tennis Federation (ITF) W35 tournaments, external in Kenya and is coached full time in the Netherlands by Tim de Rooij and qualified for her first Grand Slam at the French Open last month, winning her first-round match against Katie Volynets from the United States."I got a horrendous cold after qualifying at the French Open," said Garland."I was in bed for three days. I didn't practice and I got no sleep. I was 3-0 down in the third set and somehow I won it 6-4. I just thought 'how on earth have I pulled this off?'."Her phone was inundated with messages from Taiwan."It was pretty overwhelming," she added. "I called my mum to tell her and she said her phone had gone mad too."Garland was beaten by 32nd seed Julia Putintseva in round two but then backed up her run at Roland Garros by qualifying for her first WTA tournament at s'Hertogenbosch, in the Netherlands, losing to Canada's Bianca Andreescu in the first now prepares to qualify for Wimbledon this week for the first time."I am in a good place and quite excited about the next few weeks," she said."I am nervous. There's pressure because of Roland Garros but if I can play my best tennis, I do think I can do it. Reaching Wimbledon would be something else."

Rhyl Journal

an hour ago

• Rhyl Journal

Carlos Alcaraz had ‘no expectations' ahead of tennis grass season

The Spanish top seed regained his crown as the King of Queen's Club and replicated his debut triumph of two years ago with a 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory. Alcaraz lifted the trophy just a fortnight after his epic five-set victory over Jannik Sinner in the final of the French Open. keep smiling @carlosalcaraz 🙌@QueensTennis | #HSBCChampionships — ATP Tour (@atptour) June 22, 2025 The 22-year-old made the tight turnaround from clay to grass look simple, even though he took time out for a holiday in Ibiza before heading to London. 'It's really complicated, the switch from clay to grass in just few days, because that's the time I had before the tournament began,' he said. 'Just two days of practising and then I had to compete here. So I came here with no expectations at all. 'I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and, you know, give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better. 'So what I'm more proud about this week is th e way that I have been improving every day. You know, since the first day until today, I think I'm a different player on grass. I just got used to it really quick.' It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz – in his fifth consecutive final – following his title successes in Rome and Roland Garros. World number 30 Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990. The 23-year-old played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful groundstrokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tie-break. But Alcaraz did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title, proving he will be the man to beat at SW19 again with a stylish win in two hours and eight minutes. There will be no trip to the party island to celebrate this one, though. 'I wish,' he smiled. 'I'm a player who needs days off, days to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind. I need that, and the good thing is that I know that. 'The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I'm not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy, I mean, be more hungry to play again. 'So that was really helpful for me. I'm not going to say that I won the tournament because of Ibiza, but, after this tournament, I can't go back home. I'm going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy London a little bit. 'I'm going to have my days off to rest up, to enjoy, and then be back and preparing Wimbledon the best way possible.'

Times

5 hours ago

• Times

Carlos Alcaraz credits Ibiza trip for helping him win Queen's title

Two weeks after his French Open victory, Carlos Alcaraz completed part two of his bid for a rare summer treble in men's tennis by winning the HSBC Championships at the Queen's Club. The next stop is Wimbledon. Not only is Alcaraz bidding for a third consecutive title at the All England Club, he has the chance to become only the second man in the open era to win three of the sport's most historic tournaments in the same year, following in the footsteps of the great Rafael Nadal in 2008. Ominously for his rivals, Alcaraz did not need to be at his best in west London to win the Queen's Club trophy for the second time in three years. He was pushed to three sets by Jiri Lehecka, the world No30 from the Czech Republic, before prevailing 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in two hours and eight minutes. 'It's really special this trophy and this tournament,' Alcaraz, the world No2, said. 'I'm happy to lift this trophy once again. It has been an incredible week. I came without expectations and just wanted to play good tennis and to get used to the grass. It's really special playing here every year and I can't wait to come back next year.' The key weapon for Alcaraz here was his serve. Lehecka is renowned for his serve, regularly firing it down and clocking speeds of up to 140mph, but it was Alcaraz who was achieving more success with better accuracy. In total the Spaniard hit 18 aces to Lehecka's seven and did not face a single break point. At the age of 22, Alcaraz is already so accomplished at adjusting between the sport's three surfaces of hard, clay and grass. He is also a bundle of energy, which helps when you are arriving at the Queen's Club only 48 hours after being seen dancing at an Ibiza club in celebration of his fifth grand-slam singles triumph at Roland Garros. 'I'm a player who needs days off to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind,' Alcaraz said. 'The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I'm not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy and be more hungry to play again. 'It's really complicated to switch from clay to grass in just a few days. I came here with no expectations at all. I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and give myself the feedback of what I have to improve. But I just got used to the grass really quick, and I'm just really proud about it.' A double fault from Alcaraz allowed Lehecka to take the second set after a tie-break, but the world No30 was outclassed in the third set EPA Alcaraz was well aware beforehand of the challenge that Lehecka poses after losing to the 23-year-old in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open in February. Holding serve is of greater importance against a player who makes it so difficult to hit a clear return, and Alcaraz did a fine job from the outset by cruising through his first four service games without losing a point. When the opportunity came on the Lehecka serve at 5-5, Alcaraz pounced with a break before serving out the first set. Bringing up another chance in the second set, however, proved more difficult as there was not a single break point for either player in 12 games before the tie-break. A double fault by Alcaraz at 5-5 allowed Lehecka to level the match at one set all, but the decider was not as close as the two sets that had preceded it. Alcaraz typically raised his level with some tremendous shot-making to take control and claimed a double break to seal an 18th win in a row. While Jack Draper was not part of finals day after his three-set defeat by Lehecka in Saturday's semi-final, there was at least a British doubles victory for the home crowd to savour. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool became the first all-British pairing since Pat Hughes and Frank Wilde in 1938 to win the Queen's title, defeating Croatia's Nikola Mektic and New Zealand's Michael Venus 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 10-6 after a deciding tie-break.