It was part of Billie Jean King’s wish when she founded the WTA 50 years ago. From 2027, the tournaments in the women’s 1000 and 500 categories, which are the most prestigious alongside the Grand Slam events, will offer equal scholarships for men and women. These joint checks will therefore also be given to participants in the National Bank Open in Montreal and Toronto, with the two events being listed as “WTA 1000”.
“Achieving equal amounts of money is an important step in Tennis Canada’s plan to provide better business opportunities for women’s tennis,” Valérie Tétreault, manager of the National Bank Open in Montreal, said in a statement.
“We have invested a lot of time and resources to give women’s tennis the space and attention it deserves,” the former player continued. Our 2023 marketing campaign, which affirms that the best in women’s tennis is “The best in tennis. point” is a clear example of this effort. We have long believed that players on the WTA Tour demonstrate unparalleled skill and athleticism.
Valerie Tetreault. Archive photo
See in the video above the interview given by Valérie Tétreault to the program “Salut Bonjour” on Tuesday morning.
The best women’s sport known as “genius”
Through 2027, the prize pools for these tournaments will be gradually increased to reduce the prize pool between men and women.
The proportion of prize money awarded to the women’s tournament is expected to increase from around 32% of the prizes awarded to men in the bi-weekly format to almost 60% in 2025.
The percentage will increase to 78% in 2026 and 100% in 2027. From then on, the total budget for the WTA event will be at least $10 million, an increase of 350% in four years.
Asked about it in London where she lost in the first round of Wimbledon qualifiersEugenie Bouchard was also happy about the news and emphasized that it shows that “tennis in women’s sport is the best thing we can do”.
“It’s great for all players,” she added. […] I am proud to be on a circuit that is the most egalitarian. It’s just a good sign that things are changing for the WTA.
A huge difference
This scholarship parity is already effective at major tournaments. Wimbledon, in 2007, was the last country to follow suit.
However, for events of smaller categories, the difference can be large. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that last year’s WTA 1000 winner in Rome, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, pocketed an estimated $365,000. Men’s winner Novak Djokovic won nearly…$900,000.
And in 2022, Toronto’s National Bank Open champion Simona Halep won $439,700 in prize money, compared to $915,295 for Pablo Carreno Busta, who was crowned in Montreal.
Simona Halep, champion in Toronto in 2022. Photo AFP
There will also be more tennis
And to the delight of tennis fans accustomed to the IGA Stadium, Tennis Canada also confirmed Tuesday that the National Bank Open’s main draw matches will be spread over 12 days starting in 2025, for both men and women.
The ATP announced last year that some tournaments, including Montreal/Toronto, would now have a 12-day main draw and adopt a structure more akin to Grand Slam tournaments.
However, the WTA announced on Tuesday that the Canadian tournament and two other events (Rome and Cincinnati) will now also have an expanded schedule. With these changes comes an increase in the number of participants in the main draws, from 56 to 96 for both women and men.
Due to the busy summer schedule, the main draw will again last seven or eight days in Olympic years.