Wimbledon 2025: Historic Prize Fund and Technological Innovations Announced

The All England Club has announced a series of significant updates for the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, scheduled from June 30 to July 13. These changes include a record-breaking prize fund, the adoption of electronic line-calling technology, and adjusted finals start times, marking a new era for the historic tournament.

Wimbledon 2025 will feature a total prize fund of £53.5 million ($71.63 million), reflecting a 7% increase from 2024 and doubling the total from a decade ago. In the singles competitions, both men's and women's champions will each receive £3 million, up from £2.7 million in 2024. Prize amounts progressively increase per round, starting from £66,000 for first-round losers up to £1.52 million for runners-up. In doubles, the winning pairs will earn £680,000, while mixed doubles champions will receive £135,000. This substantial increase reflects Wimbledon's commitment to rewarding players across all rounds, particularly supporting lower-ranked participants.

For the first time in its 147-year history, Wimbledon will replace traditional line judges with Live Electronic Line Calling (Live ELC) across all matches. This decision follows extensive testing during the 2024 tournament and aims to enhance officiating accuracy. Sally Bolton, CEO of the All England Club, emphasized the need to balance tradition with innovation, acknowledging the long-standing contributions of human line judges. This change aligns Wimbledon with the Australian Open and U.S. Open, which have already adopted electronic line-calling, leaving the French Open as the only Grand Slam without it.

The start times for the women's and men's singles finals have been adjusted to 4:00 PM local time, two hours later than in previous years. This change aims to better accommodate viewers in North and South America, enhancing global viewership. The women's singles final will follow the men's doubles, and the men's singles final will follow the women's doubles.

Top-ranked players automatically qualify for Wimbledon, with 32 seeds determined by world rankings to avoid early-round clashes. Notable contenders include men's world number one Jannik Sinner, returning champion Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic pursuing a record 25th Grand Slam title. On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka leads the rankings, with Coco Gauff and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova also in contention. Wild cards are granted to local and returning players.

These developments at Wimbledon 2025 reflect the tournament's commitment to innovation while maintaining its esteemed traditions, ensuring its continued relevance and appeal in the evolving landscape of professional tennis.