Between the suspension of the tour, lower-level tennis players face a difficult time in sustaining their livelihood as they are unable to earn their weekly cash prize. However, the most prestigious slam on the Wimbledon Championships tennis tour came out in support of tennis pros after the tournament was suspended in 2020.
The tournament made a magnificent announcement on Friday as they decided to distribute a total payment of over £ 10 million in cash prizes among professionals who would have been in the 2020 edition.
Wimbledon will award £ 12,500 to those players who would have been in the qualifying rounds, £ 25,000 to the main players. Wheelchair competitors will also receive £ 5,000 each.
“We are now able to award cash prizes to 620 players whose world rankings would allow them to gain access to The Championships 2020 by directly accepting the Main Draw or qualifying event,” Wimbledon declared.
The reactions of tennis players
After running into their generous move, the tennis players expressed their gratitude for the tournament.
Incredible gesture @Wimbledon ???????????????????????? especially for players who need it rn https://t.co/bIJmBGaabC
– Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) July 10, 2020
???????????? Thanks @Wimbledon ???? https://t.co/ggLuunechM
– Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) July 10, 2020
Fantastic news – always a class act and leader of our sport !! Well done @Wimbledon – can’t wait to go back next year! ???????? https://t.co/BFok5ZSDQI
– Kim Clijsters (@Clijsterskim) July 10, 2020
Another gentle gesture from the Wimbledon Championships
Not only the players, the classic tournament also transmitted their gesture of kindness to their officials, without whom the tennis competition is impossible to stage.
“LTA, the governing body of tennis in Great Britain, to provide a payment to LTA-licensed officials who would have worked at the Championships this year, and also to a number of international officials, all highly qualified who are vital to the success of The Championships, ” they said.
Going further, Wimbledon has eliminated the budding sowing formula used since 2002. It has been used exclusively to determine the draw for individual Gentlemen. The draw for the 2021 championships will be largely based on the ATP ranking of the individual tennis players.
More information – The Wimbledon Championships introduce big changes in their sowing system
