Wimbledon players stop ‘15% protest’ after talking about prize money worries
Wimbledon players have paused their disagreement over Grand Slam prize money after having talks with tournament organisers.
Top men’s and women’s players had cut their required post-match media time to just 15 minutes during the first week of the Championships. They said players get less than 15% of the money made from Grand Slam events.
The disagreement between the world’s best players and the four Grand Slam tournaments has been going on since March 2025. The media protest started at the French Open in May.
Besides wanting a bigger share of the prize money, players also asked for support for welfare funds and a Grand Slam player committee. Some even said they might skip future tournaments if progress isn’t made.
In response, the All England Club announced a 20% increase in this year’s prize money—the biggest ever. But the total £64.2 million still didn’t meet the £71 million players had asked for.
While ATP and WTA Tour events give about 22% of revenue as prize money, Wimbledon’s share is just 14.4%. Players want that to rise to 16%.
Though the media protest is now on hold, players made it clear the bigger issue isn’t settled yet.
After a weekend of talks, players said they would return to normal media duties from Monday, June 29. This is based on Wimbledon’s promise to come back with detailed plans covering all their demands from July 2025. The players will review these proposals carefully.
Players will also share more information Wimbledon requested during the tournament. Talks between players, Wimbledon, and other Grand Slam events will keep going. For now, both sides will not say more about the issue.
The debate over prize money has led to mixed opinions. Some say top players already earn enough, while others think they should get a bigger cut of the money they help bring in.
Wimbledon still gives equal prize money to men’s and women’s singles champions, who each earn £3.6 million this year.
Players knocked out in the first qualifying round get £20,000, and reaching the main draw guarantees at least £80,000.
Prize money is lower for doubles. Men’s and women’s doubles winners get £760,000 per pair, and first-round players earn £18,000. In mixed doubles, the winning team gets £148,000, while first-round teams get £5,200.
Even with the increase, Wimbledon’s total prize money is the second largest among the Grand Slams, just behind the US Open.