Big bucks only for big bucks

WITH THE opening of its new circular, number one court for this year's Wimbledon, the All England club have thrust the championships…

WITH THE opening of its new circular, number one court for this year's Wimbledon, the All England club have thrust the championships boldly into the next millennium. As for accepting parity in women's prize money, they continue to lag somewhere in the 1950s.

Not that they stand alone. Of the four Grand Slam tournaments only the Americans have accepted equal pay for the US Open. The French, Australians and British stand shoulder to masculine shoulder in their pursuit of financial segregation.

"There is a worldwide boom in women's tennis due to increased depth and the rise of our young stars," said a spokesperson for the Women's Tennis Association yesterday.

"In each of the last four years the women's final has been the most dramatic of all the matches during the Wimbledon fortnight, while in each of the last six years, the women have, consistently delivered more seeded players through to the quarter finals."

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This year the men's champion will win £415,000, with the winner of the women's title collecting £373,500, both 5.7 per cent increases on last year, with the overall prize fund being just under £7 million.

"We look every year at the difference between the men's and women's prize money," said John Curry, the All England chairman. "But we must, take into consideration that" spectators and television viewers prefer men's matches."

However, dialogue between the WTA and the All England club is by no means at an impasse, with the WTA increasingly confident of achieving parity within the next few, years.