Yahoo News Wimbledon 2018 prize money breakdown: How much do men’s and women’s winners stand to earn?
Wimbledon has raised its total prize pot to £34m in 2018.
There will be prizes of £2.25m for both the men’s and women’s champions – and there are also brand new rules to discourage players from competing while carrying an injury.
Last year the tournament was hit by a spate of players withdrawing early into their first round matches so that they didn’t miss out on their prize money.
However, players who go into matches this year with a pre-existing injury run the risk of being fined up to 100 per cent of their prize money if Wimbledon believe they should not have played.
Here’s everything you need to know about prize money at this year’s Championships.
How much will the winners take home?
The Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ singles champions will take home £2.25m this year – up from £2.2m the year before.
The Gentlemen’s Doubles and Ladies’ Doubles will meanwhile win £450k, an increase from £400k in 2017 and £350k the year before.
The Mixed Doubles champions stand to earn £110k, an increase on the £100k handed out to the 2015, 2016 and 2017 winners.
What about everybody else?
Those players who are knocked out early at this year’s Championships will actually enjoy a much greater share of the prize pot: an overall 7.6 per cent of the total amount, bringing it to £34m.
In the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles, first round losers will take home £39k – an increase of 11.4 per cent from the year before.
Second round losers get £63k (10.5%), third round losers £100k (11.1%) and fourth round losers £163k (10.9%).
Quarter-finalists take home £281k and semi-finalists £562k – with both prizes making a 2.2% increase.
The runner-up gets £1.125m – exactly half what the winner takes home.
How have they changed the rules?
Wimbledon announced earlier this year that first-round losers this summer will earn £39,000 – an increase of 11.4 per cent – but confirmed that they will be implementing a new “50-50” rule which was first used at this year’s Australian Open.
Under the rule, injured players who are on site and were in the tournament draw can withdraw from their first-round matches and still receive 50 per cent of the prize money given to first-round losers. However, players who go into matches with a pre-existing injury run the risk of being fined up to 100 per cent of their prize money if Wimbledon believe they should not have played.
Germany’s Mischa Zverev fell foul of the rule in Melbourne in January when he was fined the equivalent of his first-round prize money when he retired hurt against Hyeon Chung.
And what have Wimbledon said about the rule change?
“In the wake of last year’s first-round withdrawals we pledged to act on it and we have done so,” Richard Lewis, Wimbledon’s chief executive, said at the All England Club in May.
“We were very influential in the creation and adoption of the ’50-50’ rule and we hope that the introduction of it will play a significant role in mitigating the problems of first-round singles retirements.”
