Tennis superstars Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova now have even more reason to make sure the date for Wimbledon is in their diaries.
The world’s most famous tournament is to increase this year’s prize fund to a whopping £20 million.
Bosses at the All England Tennis club agreed the 25 per cent increase to ensure the competition is in line with other Grand Slams.
The winners of the two singles finals will receive a record £1.5 million each, a rise of £350,000 from 2012.
Last September Forbes magazine revealed that the sport’s ten best players had total annual earnings of £139 million between them.Federer is the highest-earner, making just over £35 million between July 2011 and July 2012.
Murray, who beat Federer at last year’s Olympics, earned about £8 million.
Sharapova made £17.8 million in the same period.Player bodies, the ATP and WTA, have been seeking better pay throughout the Grand Slams, arguing that it is hard for some of the lower-ranked players to meet expenses accrued on what is a global tour.
The Australian Open’s total prize fund in January was £20.3m, including £1.64m for the winners of the singles titles.
The French Open singles winners will get £1.3m this year, a rise of 20 per cent on 2012, while second, third and fourth-round losers will earn 25 per cent more.
The US Open have increased their 2013 prize pot to £21.9m and that is likely to exceed £33m by 2017.
