Men and women will receive equal prize money in all 1,000 events combined – the highest level of competition outside the Grand Slams – starting next year, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced.
The Indian Wells, California, Miami, Madrid and Beijing events have already met this commitment, as have the four Grand Slam tournaments.
However, the Italian Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open will now also align to meet a long-standing WTA goal of having events where both men and women compete.
In 2023, the organizers of the Italian Open had committed to having equal prize money from 2025, but did not keep this commitment.
The total prize money for men this year in Rome was £7.3 million, while the women received £6.3 million.
“Achieving equal prize money across all WTA 1,000 tournaments combined is a major milestone for tennis,” said WTA President Valerie Camillo.
“This demonstrates the WTA’s continued commitment to leading the sports industry in providing our athletes with competitive and financial equality and is testament to the enduring nature of the WTA’s founding vision.”
The WTA also announced adjustments to the schedule to provide greater flexibility for players.
These changes include a reduction – from six to four – in the number of WTA 500-level tournaments that players ranked among the world’s top 50 are required to play.
This will also allow players to replace an eligible WTA 1,000 tournament result with a stronger WTA 500 or 250 result in their rankings.
“We have listened to player feedback on schedule requirements and responded with a significant reduction in commitments,” Camillo said.
American world number three Jessica Pegula said: “The changes in 2027 give us more ability to build our seasons around our own goals – competitively and personally.
“This is an important step forward for the players.”
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