All combined WTA 1000 tournaments will award women the same total prize money as men from 2027, the tour announced Thursday, with the Italian Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open the last to join.
How large was the remaining gap?
In Rome this year, men’s total prize money was $9.6 million against $8.3 million for women. The other combined 1000 events, at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing, already paid equally, as do all four Grand Slams.
Has this been promised before?
In Rome, yes. Organisers pledged in 2023 to reach equality by 2025 and did not. That history is the reason to treat the 2027 commitment as a commitment rather than an accomplishment, and it is worth remembering when the date arrives.
Why does Rome carry particular weight?
Because of where the modern women’s tour started. Billie Jean King has frequently cited her 1970 Italian Open title, for which she received $600 while the men’s champion took $3,500, as part of what moved her to establish a separate women’s circuit. Equality arriving at that specific tournament, 57 years later, is the detail giving this announcement its symbolic charge.
What else changes in 2027?
The calendar loosens. The number of WTA 500 events required of top 50 players drops from six to four, bringing the base commitment to 14 tour events plus the four majors. The tour said it responded to player feedback on calendar demands, and a working group chaired by Jessica Pegula shaped the changes. She described the flexibility as letting players build seasons around their own goals.
Is any of this permanent?
Not yet. The WTA described the 2027 updates as a one year pilot, to be evaluated before decisions on 2028 and beyond. That framing applies to the structural changes and is the kind of qualifier worth noting before treating any of it as settled.
What is the Manila news?
An expanded tournament at WTA 250 level, attributed by the tour to interest generated by Alex Eala, the 18th ranked Filipina. The Philippines hosted a 125 level event in January, and this is a step up in category. A tour expanding in a market because of one player is a straightforward demonstration of what national interest in an athlete produces.
What is the financial backdrop?
Strained. The tour opted out of the final year of a three year hosting arrangement with Saudi Arabia, moving this year’s WTA Finals to Indian Wells, with the event then heading to an NBA arena in Charlotte for three years. Three events in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar remain on the February calendar amid regional military conflict. Committing to higher payouts while giving up a lucrative hosting deal is a meaningful choice rather than a costless one.
What would confirm it?
The 2027 prize money tables. WTA equal prize money at the three remaining events is verifiable when those tournaments publish their breakdowns, and that is the point at which this becomes a result rather than an announcement.
