Hologic WTA Tour Unveils Strategic Plan To Boost Prize Money, Marketing, Revenue
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 06:18PM By Barry Janoff
June 27, 2023: Calling it a “new era in women’s tennis,” the Hologic WTA Tour today unveiled a strategy intended to “create a solidified pathway toward equal prize money” and a revised calendar “providing sustainable long-term growth for women’s tennis.”
The WTA, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, said these key changes would “support the growth of the sport and enhance the overall experience for the WTA’s global fan base and key stakeholders within the game.”
According to WTA organizers, “One of the main pillars of the strategy includes creating a pathway toward equal prize money, a goal envisioned 50 years ago when Billie Jean King founded the WTA.
“This increase will happen over time, to ensure the changes are sustainable for players and tournaments in the long term, with WTA 1000 and 500 combined events attaining equal prize money by 2027 and single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events by 2033.”
Tennis’ four Grand Slam events, not under the control of the WTA or ATP Tour, all offer equal prize money for men and women, as do a growing number of combined WTA-ATP 1000 Masters events such as the the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells, Calif.), the Miami Open and the Rome Open.
“At the heart of everything the WTA does is producing the highest-quality product and experience, and the strengthened future calendars will have a positive impact for our players, tournaments, fans and partners,” Steve Simon, WTA chairman and CEO, said, via the organization.
“Equality, including equal compensation, is a fundamental principle of the WTA and it is crucial to attain this level. We appreciate the support from our tournaments in securing this top priority.”
The revised WTA calendar will feature a “strengthening of the top-tier WTA events with a focus on delivering the best talent each week in a consistent and clear manner, making it easier for the fans to follow,” according to the WTA.
The WTA 1000 level tournaments (increasing to ten) include several moving to two weeks in length and, with that, larger draw sizes: Rome (2023), Madrid and Beijing (2024) and Cincinnati and Toronto/Montreal (2025), in addition to the existing Indian Wells and Miami competitions.
The additional WTA 1000 events will be one-week events in Doha, Dubai and a yet-to-be-named event.
New player entry rules will ensure a consistent presence of the top athletes at these premium events throughout the year.
The increase in two-week WTA 1000 tournaments combined with the ATP “demonstrates a clearer alignment across both tours.”
“Players that say, ‘Why do we have to wait?’ are right, 100%,” Simon told AP Sports.
“But it can’t happen tomorrow. We can’t change this overnight. But I’m very excited that we have a plan now — not to just sit and talk about this and hope that somebody will help us do the right thing that’s appropriate and deserving for these players.
"The strengthened future calendars will have a positive impact for our players, tournaments, fans and partners."
“We’re going to make it happen. Maybe we can even get there faster, if the revenues grow.”
The new strategy also looks to “enhance WTA 500 events and build their value, achieved through several strategic additions and less overlap across the calendar, along with new entry rules to boost the quality of the player fields.”
In the updated calendar, the number of WTA 500 tournaments will see an increase to 17: Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Berlin, Brisbane, Charleston, Eastbourne, Monterrey, San Diego, Seoul, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Tokyo, United Cup, Washington, Zhengzhou and two yet-to-be-named events.
At the WTA 250 level, tournaments will have a stronger regional focus to create a more sustainable and viable business model that will help foster the next generation of stars.
According to Billie Jean King via the WTA, “Fifty years after the players found strength in unity, I’m proud the WTA continues to be a global leader focused on providing opportunities, and hope that women in other sports and walks of life are inspired by its example.”
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