How Much Does the Wimbledon Champion Make? Breaking Down the Historic 2026 Purse

NEED TO KNOW

• Wimbledon announced that its purse would increase to over $86 million for its 2026 tournament
• This jump followed a campaign from top tennis players to increase prize money across all four Grand Slams
• Last year, Wimbledon winners Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek took home over $4 million each

Winning Wimbledon brings glory, prestige and a seven-figure check — one that is notably larger in 2026.

A month before the prestigious tennis competition began, the All England Lawn Tennis Club announced that it was increasing the prize money to $86.1 million. The 20% increase marked the biggest jump in the event’s history.

The record-breaking surge appeared to be the club’s latest response to players’ criticism over prize money. In 2025, the Associated Press reported that Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka and 18 other tennis pros had signed a letter calling for a higher purse across the four Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

“We have listened to the players,” AELTC chair Deborah Jevans told ESPN, following a 7% increase in prize money at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. “But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the Grand Slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis.”

She went on to say that the real issue with professional tennis is that players have no off-season, which leads to more injuries. The Associated Press reported that in the letter, the pros asked for the Grand Slams’ prize money to be increased “to a more appropriate percentage of tournament revenues, reflective of the players’ contribution to tournament value.”

So, how much does a Wimbledon champion make? Here’s everything to know about the tournament’s record-setting prize money in 2026 — and how much it’s changed over time.

How much will the 2026 Wimbledon champion make?

With the 20% increase, the Wimbledon purse rose to a whopping £64.2 million, which is approximately $86.1 million, according to CBS Sports.

The singles champions from the women’s and men’s divisions will each take home £3.6 million ($4.8 million), which is more than the £3 million ($4.1 million) winners Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek took home in 2025, per CBS Sports.

Doubles champions also get a pay bump of 10%, making their take-home pay £760,000 (just over $1 million). The prize for mixed doubles increased by 10% to £148,000, or over $198,000.

The increases in prize money followed a letter to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments, signed by the top 20 tennis players worldwide.

Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen told reporters, per CNN, that more prize money will benefit not only the winners, but “those players that work hard [every] year and need to get paid from the slams, and they have to survive.”

How much will the other 2026 Wimbledon participants make?

In addition to the champions, other Wimbledon participants also benefit from the larger purse.

The first-round singles prize money increased by 21% to £80,000 (or over $107,000), per the AELTC. The total payout on offer for the Qualifying Competition is £6.2 million (or over $8 million), which is a 25% increase.

The runners-up for men’s and women’s singles will get £1.8 million, or about $2.4 million, which is an 18% increase.

Players in the wheelchair divisions also got a 20% increase in prize money.

In 2025, the winners of the men’s and women’s wheelchair singles and the quad wheelchair singles received £68,000.

Now, all three groups can earn £82,000 (over $100,000), while the doubles teams (including men’s, women’s and quad) can make £36,000 (or over $48,000), according to a report.

How much have Wimbledon winners won in years past?

The prize money has increased exponentially over the past years — doubling what players were offered a decade ago, per ESPN.

Wimbledon lists its prize money history on its website, showing that the first-ever men’s singles champion in 1968 received £2,000, equivalent to around $2,700, while the women’s singles champion made £750, or around $1,000.

Women didn’t start taking home the same prizes as men until 2007.

Which grand slam has the highest prize money?

The U.S. Open has offered the highest prize money with a record-breaking overall purse of $90 million in 2025.

Wimbledon comes in second with a £64.2 million ($86.1 million) purse in 2026, followed by the Australian Open’s 111.5 million AUD ($75 million) in 2026, per reports.

According to CBS Sports, the French Open offered the smallest prize pool in 2026: $71 million.

Read the original article on People