Rome tennis tournament to equalize prize money by 2027

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has announced that the Rome tennis tournament will equalize its prize money for men and women starting in 2027. This move ensures that all joint tournaments in the WTA 1000 series will feature identical prize funds for both genders for the first time.

In addition to Rome, prize money will also be equalized at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati tournament, which were the final joint WTA 1000 events lacking full financial parity. Other major tournaments, including Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing, and all four Grand Slam events, already offer equal prize money.

WTA President Valerie Camillo stated that equalizing prize money across all joint WTA 1000 tournaments is a major step forward for tennis, reaffirming the association's commitment to financial and competitive equality. This decision comes decades after the significant pay gap seen in 1970, when Billie Jean King earned $600 for her victory in Rome while Ilie Năstase received $3,500 for the men's title.