WTA Announces ‘Major Milestone’ with Equal Prize Money at Italian Open and Other Big Events in 2027
The tour said the change will close a pay gap that left men with $9.6 million and women with $8.3 million in Rome this year.
- On Thursday, the WTA Tour announced all combined WTA 1000 events will award equal prize money starting in 2027, including the Italian Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati Open.
- Former tennis player Billie Jean King earned $600 for her 1970 Italian Open title while Ilie Nastase took home $3,500, highlighting the disparity that motivated decades of advocacy for equality.
- Italian Open organizers previously pledged equal prize money starting in 2025 but failed to deliver, making this 2027 commitment significant after years of unfulfilled promises.
- Jessica Pegula, who chaired the tour architecture council, praised the changes, saying, "As players, we're on the road most of the year, so having more flexibility makes a real difference."
- The updates will be implemented as a one-year pilot for 2027, while the WTA selected Charlotte, North Carolina, for the WTA Finals and announced an expanded WTA 250 tournament in Manila, Philippines.
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WTA announces equal prize money across all combined 1000 tournaments from 2027
All combined WTA 1000 tournaments will award women equal prize money to the men from 2027, the Women's Tennis Association said on Thursday, with the Italian Open and other major events joining the rest of the category in offering the same payouts.
WTA announces ‘major milestone’ with equal prize money at Italian Open and other big events in 2027
ROME (AP) — Billie Jean King has often said that she was moved to form the women’s pro tennis circuit after earning $600 for her 1970 Italian Open title — while Ilie Nastase took home $3,500 for winning the men’s tournament the same year. In 2027 — nearly six decades after King’s title at the...
WTA announces 'major milestone' with equal prize money at It
Former tennis player Billie Jean King attends a match between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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