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 Foro Italico — the Rome clay-court event will finally award women the same amount of total prize money as men, as part a “major milestone” initiative that the WTA Tour announced Thursday.
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The initiative means that all combined WTA 1000 events will award equal prize money for the first time. Besides the Italian Open, the holdouts had been the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.
The other combined 1000 events in Indian Wells, California; Miami; Madrid and Beijing; as well as all four Grand Slams, already offer equal prize money.
“Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis,” WTA chair Valerie Camillo said. “It demonstrates the WTA’s continued commitment to leading the sports industry in delivering our athletes competitive and financial equality and is a testament to the enduring nature of the founding vision of the WTA.”
The announcement comes at a time of financial difficulty for the WTA after it opted out of the final year of a three-year hosting arrangement with Saudi Arabia to move this year’s WTA Finals to Indian Wells, California. The tour's flagship event will then be played inside an NBA arena in Charlotte, North Carolina for the next three years.
In 2023, Italian Open organizers pledged to have equal prize money starting in 2025 but didn’t carry through on the promise.
The total men’s prize money this year in Rome was $9.6 million while the women got $8.3 million.
Also announced for next year was an expanded WTA 250-level tournament in Manila, Philippines, amid massive interest surrounding home player Alex Eala, who is ranked 18th.
In January of this year, the Philippines hosted a WTA 125-level tournament. The 2027 event will be held in November at the end of the Asian swing.
Also, the number of annual WTA 500 level tournaments required for players ranked in the top 50 was reduced from six to four, resulting in a total base playing commitment of 14 WTA tournaments plus the four Grand Slams in 2027.
“The WTA is stepping up to deliver more for players and tournaments in 2027,” Camillo said. “We have listened to player feedback on the demands of the calendar and responded with a meaningful reduction in commitments."
The WTA relied heavily on its tour architecture council, a working group chaired by third-ranked Jessica Pegula.
“As players, we’re on the road most of the year, so having more flexibility in our schedules and commitments makes a real difference,” Pegula said. “The 2027 changes give us more ability to build our seasons around our own goals — competitively and personally. That’s an impactful step forward for players.”
The WTA said the updates “will be implemented as a one-year pilot" for 2027, allowing it to "evaluate the impact of the changes across the tour to inform decisions for 2028 and beyond.”
Also of note: three events in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar remain on the calendar for February after this year's WTA Finals were moved from Saudi Arabia to Indian Wells following concerns over military conflicts in the Middle East.
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