Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tweaks circuit with plans for pay parity in top events by 2027 | Tennis News

The governing physique of girls’s tennis introduced a brand new circuit construction on Tuesday with a “pathway to handing out equal prize cash” for women and men at mixed WTA 1000 and 500 occasions ranging from 2027.

Tennis has sought to be a pacesetter within the battle for equality within the final couple of many years with equal prize cash provided to women and men on the 4 Grand Slams.

WTA Tour occasions, nonetheless, have typically provided much less prize cash than these on the separate males’s ATP circuit, however the tour now plans to deal with the problem with its new technique.

The WTA, which is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its basis this yr, mentioned the soar in prize cash will occur over time to make sure modifications are sustainable for gamers and tournaments in the long run.

WTA 1000 and 500 mixed occasions will accordingly attain prize cash parity by 2027, whereas single-week WTA 1000 and 500 occasions will accomplish that by 2033.

“Fifty years after the gamers discovered power in unity, I am proud the WTA continues to be a world chief targeted on offering alternatives, and hope that ladies in different sports activities and walks of life are impressed by its instance,” mentioned WTA founder and tennis nice Billie Jean King.

The tour’s revised calendar may have 10 WTA 1000 occasions, with Beijing (2024) and Cincinnati and Toronto/Montreal (2025) set to have bigger fields.

The extra WTA 1000 occasions will likely be one-week occasions in Doha, Dubai and a yet-to-be-named venue.

Wuhan was not named as a WTA 1000 occasion, whereas Monterrey, Strasbourg and Seoul have been promoted to the WTA 500 stage.

“New participant entry guidelines will guarantee constant presence of the highest athletes at these premium occasions all year long,” the WTA added.

“The rise in two-week WTA 1000 tournaments mixed with the ATP demonstrates a clearer alignment throughout each Excursions.”

The WTA calendar for 2024 is about to be introduced within the coming months.